Nightmares turn into reality
by fantasyforever1989
Summary: Drake is tormented by his abusive father and past, which not even his mom knows about. But what happens when his past comes back to haunt him? Can Drake handle it or will someone find out before it's too late? Rated for cuttingdepression and child abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh or any of the characters in this story.

It was near two 'o clock. The only sound that could be heard was the pounding of pouring rain on the window and a snoring teenage boy. Suddenly, the teenage boy woke with a start as a strange sound disturbed his sleep. Josh Nichols sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he looked around his room still half asleep and tried to locate the noise that had woke him up. When he heard the noise again he was suddenly wide awake once he realized what the noise was, it was the sound of someone talking in their sleep…no not talking, it sounded more like someone crying out for help, and that someone was his brother Drake Parker.

Concerned, Josh quickly threw his covers aside and walked over to Drake's bed. Drake was tossing and turning under his comforter, he had already kicked off his sheets.

"No please stop…no more!" Drake moaned in his sleep as he twisted his body.

"Drake, wake up." Josh said, gently shaking his brother's shoulder to try and wake him from his obvious nightmare.

"NO!" Drake screamed this time in response to Josh's touch. Josh quickly let go of Drake's shoulder in shock. He had never seen his brother act like this awake or asleep, which worried him even more.

"It's okay Drake, it's just me, come on wake up, it's okay." Josh said, cautiously rubbing Drake's arm in a comforting manner so he wouldn't cause his brother to scream again.

"Come on Drake, wake up." Josh pleaded, his eyes filled with concern.

Finally, Drake gasped as he opened his eyes. He was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Slowly, he sat up in bed and leaned against his headboard, it wasn't until then that he noticed Josh standing by his bed with a worried expression on his face.

"Are you alright" Josh asked staring at Drake, who closed his eyes for a second, then turned away from his brother embarrassed.

"Yea, I'm fine. I just had a bad dream, no big deal, sorry if I woke you." Drake said quietly and closed his eyes again and took several deep breaths as he tried to get his breathing back to normal. Josh didn't seem convinced as he continued to watch Drake.

"Are you sure? You want to talk about it?" Josh asked, Drake shook his head.

"Yes, I'm fine Josh really, there's nothing to talk about. Don't worry, go back to sleep." Drake replied. He really wasn't in the mood to talk, and he definitely wasn't in the mood to tell Josh what his dream was about. The dream had surprised Drake though, it was a dream he hadn't had in months. Every time he had this dream though, Drake would silently curse under his breath. He HATED it when he had this dream, every time he thought he was over his past, he would have that damn dream again.

Josh gave Drake another puzzled look, which caused Drake to sigh heavily, Josh wasn't going to go back to his bed until he got an explanation.

"Look, sometimes I get these really bad dreams. It hasn't happened for a couple months, but every now and then they come back." Drake admitted, this way he wasn't lying to Josh, but he wasn't telling him the whole truth either.

Josh nodded.

"You sure you don't want to talk about it? You know I'm always here for you Drake." Josh said in response to Drake's statement.

"Yea I know man, but seriously I'll be fine." Drake said as he laid back down, hoping that he would give Josh the impression that he was tired and wanted to go back to sleep, even though his mind was now too busy to go back to sleep. However, Josh apparently seemed to get the message.

"Alright." Josh said hesitantly, then slowly walked back to his bed and laid back down as well.

"Night brother!" Josh said

"Night." Drake replied taking another deep breath and letting it out slowly. He rolled over and pulled his sheets back over himself to hide the fact that he was shaking.

"Damn it!" Drake thought. He closed his eyes and took several deep and steadying breaths to calm himself down.

Soon, the room was filled once again with Josh's snores, Drake sighed in relief. He brought his knees up to his chest and curled up and wrapped his comforter tightly around himself. His eyes stung from lack of sleep, but Drake knew his chances of falling back asleep soon were slim to none. His mind was racing a thousand miles an hour as old memories that he had tried to suppress for years began to surface.

_An eight year old Drake Parker __lay__ sprawled on the ground his back and chest covered in blood. A tall and muscular man stood over him with an evil sneer on his face._

_"Did we learn our lesson today?" the man asked in a mocking sweet tone, Drake nodded his head._

_"Yes…yes sir." Drake stuttered, his chest throbbed painfully making breathing difficult let alone the ability to speak._

_"And what did we learn today?" the man asked in the same mocking voice._

_"To…to not forget…to make my bed in the morning, so…so…mommy won't be late for work again." Drake gasped, burying his face into the carpet to hide his tears, he knew he would get hit again for crying…crying showed weakness and his father refused to have a weak son._

_"That's right, that's a good boy." Drake's father said as he slid his belt back onto his pants and left his son crying in pain on the floor………._

_…….A twelve year old Drake clenched his eyes shut and waited for the pain to __end as__ his father once again hit him. He no longer screamed or cried out loud anymore when his father beat him, all he could do was beg and wait for the beating to end._

_"I'm tired of having such a pathetic and weak __excuse__ for a son." The man shouted as he brought the belt down on his son as he said each word. Drake stifled a gasp as the stinging sensation spread through his body._

_"I'm…I'm sorry. I won't cheat on anymore tests…I promise!" Drake begged. His comment caused him to get a rough kick in the ribs._

_"How can I believe that when you're a lying sack of shit!" Drake's father snarled, slapping the belt once again on his son's already bloodied back. Suddenly the pain ended, Drake slowly dared himself to look up at his father who had suddenly looked at the clock. _

_"Quick, get your lazy ass up and put on __a shirt__. Your mom will be home any minute." Drake swallowed, and slowly pushed himself off the ground wincing in pain._

_"I said hurry you piece of shit!" Drake's father said, roughly grabbing his son by his hair and dragged him to his bedroom where he threw the boy onto the floor._

_"I want you downstairs in five minutes!" his father snapped and slammed the door shut. Drake groaned and as quick as he bruised body would allow him, he went to his drawer and pulled out a towel and a clean shirt like he always did after his father's beatings. Drake hissed as he gingerly dried as much fresh blood as he could and brushed away as many flakes of dried blood__ off his body as possible. H__e__ then__ slipped the shirt over his head and pulled on his sweatshirt just in case any blood did happen to seep through his shirt. Drake sighed then with all his might forced himself to walk in__to the dining room just __as his__ mother pulled up into their driveway. Drake quickly put on his fake smile, his father studi__ed him and grunted in approval. _

The sixteen year old Drake shut his eyes tightly and shook his head trying to rid himself of the old memories. He groaned softly and willed himself to go back to sleep. Finally, just as dawn was approaching and Drake thought sleep would be impossible he felt his eyelids droop and he fell into a light and restless sleep.

The next thing Drake was aware of was a loud beeping sound. He groaned and instead of hitting his alarm clock as usual, Drake grabbed the clocked and threw it across the room. The sound of the clock smashing on the ground woke up Josh, when he realized what Drake had done, he rolled his eyes.

"You know, if you keep breaking your alarm clocks you're going to go broke." Josh said yawning as he got up and began getting ready for school, Drake just smirked at his brother's comment and pulled his covers back over him. Josh laughed, once he was dressed; he grabbed his pillow and threw it at Drake, who groaned again and threw the pillow back at Josh and pulled his own pillow over his head. Josh rolled his eyes again but he couldn't help but smile. After last night, Josh was glad to see Drake acting normal again, seeing his brother so scared last night really freaked him out. He went over to Drake's bed and yanked Drake's covers off of him, causing Drake to open one of his eyes and peek up at Josh.

"Come on Drake get up or you're going to make us late for school." Josh said

"And the problem with that is?" Drake said sitting up and ran a hand through his tousled brown hair. Josh just shook his head and went back to getting ready.

Sighing, Drake surrendered and climbed down the ladder on his bed and began getting dressed. Josh couldn't help but notice that even though Drake was acting like himself again, he had never seen his brother look so tired. Dark circles hung around Drake's eyes and his face seemed to have lost some of its natural color. As Drake looked in a mirror and was messing with his hair, he noticed that Josh was watching him.

"Can I help you with something?" Drake said turning around to face Josh, slightly annoyed.

"No, I was just wondering if you went back to sleep last night because not to sound mean brother but you look like you haven't slept in a week." It was Drake's turn to roll his eyes. He had to put on a cover for Josh. Truth be told, he was exhausted and the last thing he wanted to do was go to school.

"It's called waking up and realizing that you have to go to school Josh. Not all people are as ecstatic as you at the idea of being trapped in a prison for six hours a day."

"You know, you might find school more interesting if you actually, I don't know, paid attention in class." Josh said as he stuffed his books into his backpack. Drake stared at his brother and gave him a confused expression.

"And why would I do that?" Drake asked, Josh just shook his head and grabbed his backpack and walked out the door, Drake did the same.

"Hey boys, you want some breakfast?" Audrey asked smiling as the two teenagers walked into the kitchen. Drake and Josh sat down at the table and began eating the cereal their mom had laid out for them. Just then, Megan Parker walked into the kitchen.

"Hey sweetheart, want some cereal?" Audrey asked, Megan nodded and sat down at the table opposite of her brothers.

"Boobs." She said acknowledging Drake and Josh as she began eating her cereal.

"Boys, I need you to give Megan a ride to school. Your dad had to go into work early and I'm running a little late." Audrey announced, all three siblings looked up at their mother.

"We're running late too. Drake wouldn't get out of bed this morning." Josh said looking at his watch.

"Yea, like that's anything new?" Megan said then took another bite of her cereal.

"Look guys, I really don't have time for this right now, I'm sorry. I'm just asking you to do me one favor, I promise I'll pick Megan up after school." Audrey said gently and offered her children a smile.

"Alright, then we better get going." Josh said looking at his watch again. Drake swallowed a groan then followed his sister out the door. He leaned his head against the car window as Josh started the car.

"It was going to be a long day." Drake thought as Josh pulled out of their driveway and made his way to Megan's school.

_**Okay, so I've liked Drake and Josh for a while and I've been reading a lot of Drake and Josh fanfics and finally decided to write my own. I know this plot with Drake's father being abusive and Drake going through depression is really common, but please just give it a shot and tell me what you think. I'm always open to criticism as well as positive reviews. Also, correct if I'm wrong but the show doesn't specify what Drake's father's name is? If I'm wrong please let me know so I can add that to my story. **_

_**Thanks,**_

_**Fantasyforever1989 **_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh or any of the other characters. All rights go to the creators of the show.

Drake was dozing in Mrs. Hayfer's English class. Enduring the lectures and hated remarks from the teacher who loved to pick on him was draining enough on any day, but especially annoying when you're running on two hours of sleep. Suddenly, he felt a hard jab in his side and gasped. His head shot up from the desk and looked straight into the menacing eyes of Mrs. Hayfer herself.

"I don't suppose you could tell me the answer to question six from the homework Mr. Parker?" Mrs. Hayfer said in a "matter-of fact" tone that she saved just for Drake, who sighed and leaned back in his chair with his casual almost bored expression plastered on his face.

"Well, I would love to help you out, but I'm afraid that doing homework is against my religion." Drake replied with a smug grin.

Drake's comment made many students laugh; Mrs. Hayfer on the other hand continued to give Drake a piercing glare. Josh just shook his head, he had tried to get Drake to do the reading and the homework questions for about thirty seconds last night, but Josh had learned a long time ago that the day Drake did his homework and actually came prepared for class would be the same day that the world turned upside down and pigs flew.

"Of course it is Mr. Parker, however detention is not against your religion, or at least it won't be today after school until 3:30." Mrs. Hayfer said confidently, and then walked back to the front of the classroom.

Drake groaned, that was the last thing he needed, to spend an hour after school with the teacher who absolutely loathed him and took pleasure in making his life even more miserable then it already was. The bell rang causing everyone to pack up their things; Drake was almost at the door when Mrs. Hayfer called out to him.

"Don't be late Drake or I'll add on a lunch detention." She said glaring at the teenage boy in front of her.

"Yes mam." Drake replied darkly then walked out of the room where Josh was waiting for him.

"Man, that woman is going to pay one of these days for all the hell she puts me through." Drake muttered as the two teenagers walked to the cafeteria for lunch.

"Well, as long as she's the teacher and you're the student I think she'll always have the upper hand." Josh said, then offered his brother a small grin in hopes of cheering him up, Drake just rolled his eyes at Josh.

"It could be worse; she could have given you detention for a week." Josh said smirking, Drake let out a sigh.

"Yea, she's really taking pity on me." Drake said sarcastically as him and Josh sat down at a table. It was then that Josh noticed that Drake appeared to look worse than he did in the morning. His eyes now looked red and slightly bloodshot, not to mention that the circles under his eyes seemed to have gotten a shade darker, if that was possible.

"You know, maybe you should go to the nurse's office, you don't look so good." Josh said, trying to hide his concern in his voice. Drake looked up from his lunch annoyed.

"Not this again Josh. Dude, I told you I was fine this morning that hasn't changed. I'm a little tired; it's not that big of a deal." Drake replied, hoping that the weariness he felt didn't show on his face, apparently it did.

"You look more than just a little tired. I thought you said you went back to sleep last night?" Josh said, studying his brother closely.

"I did, now just drop it alright." Drake said a little more forceful then he meant to, like most people when they were exhausted, Drake got irritated more easily than usual. Josh opened his mouth to retort but quickly closed it. Drake was having a rough enough day as is, and he didn't want to make it worse for him by prying.

"Fine." Josh muttered, and quickly changed the subject to how Drake was going to occupy himself during detention with Mrs. Hayfer.

Drake went through the rest of his classes in a blur. His body screamed for sleep and rest, and he obliged by sleeping his afternoon classes away. Suddenly, Drake woke with a start as the bell rang signaling the end of the school day. Slowly, Drake made his way to Mrs. Hayfer's classroom dreading every step he took. He was just about to open the door when Josh caught up with him.

"Hey, I have to run to the Premiere real quickly but I'll be back in time to pick you up. I promised Helen I'd sort a new shipment of cups that we're supposed to get today, and she'll murder me if I don't at least start it. Josh said grinning, Drake nodded as long as Josh didn't leave him stranded he didn't really care what he did.

"That's fine, see ya." Drake muttered then entered the classroom. Mrs. Hayfer was seated at her desk grading papers; she looked up as Drake closed the door behind him.

"Ah, Drake, please take a seat." Mrs. Hayfer said with a small grin. Drake sighed then slid into a desk and dumped his backpack on the floor.

"I've decided that for this afternoon you are going to recite segments of a favorite story of mine." Mrs. Hayfer said as she dropped a thick book on Drake's desk. Drake picked it up and turned it over to read the title which caused him to groan out loud; William Shakespeare's King Lear.

"Shall we begin? Please turn to act 2, scene 3." Drake let out a heavy sigh before turning to the correct page. The hour seemed like an eternity to Drake, when the minute hand finally landed on 3:30 Drake packed up his things as quickly as he could. Before he was out the door, Mrs. Hayfer looked up at him.

"I still hate you Drake." Mrs. Hayfer announced, Drake rolled his eyes.

"I know." Drake replied exasperated and began walking down the hall.

He was almost at the front door when he felt an unusual prickling sensation on the back of his neck. Drake stopped walking, frozen to the spot by shock. This was a feeling he hadn't had since he was twelve years old, it was a feeling he only got when his father was around. But that was impossible! Rick Parker was gone, he had left, Drake was scum to him, why the hell would he be here? Taking a deep breath, Drake nervously turned on his heel and glanced around him, the hall was just as deserted as it was a minute ago. He swallowed a lump in his throat, then anxiously opened the front door and walked out into the fresh air. He glanced around looking for Josh, he wasn't back Premiere from the yet. Drake began pacing in front of the school in an attempt to keep himself busy and to calm his nerves. The prickling sensation still lingered on the back of his neck, causing Drake to keep glancing around him, but there wasn't anybody around except for a few teachers who were making their way to the teacher's parking lot just as eager to get home as he was.

Finally, Josh pulled up in front of the school. Drake let out a long sigh of relief and eagerly jumped into the passenger seat.

Josh tried not to keep staring at Drake, but he couldn't help it. Besides from still looking like hell, there was something different about his brother, he looked terrified almost if he had seen a ghost. Drake's face was a shade paler than usual and his body was shaking slightly, he was also very fidgety. Josh sighed, he had promised Drake he would stop questioning him, but that didn't stop him from worrying. Something had happened to Drake to make him so scared, and Josh was determined to find out what exactly that something was.

Drake leaned his head against the window caught up in his thoughts. He was thankful that Josh hadn't taken that long. He felt safe with Josh and at that moment he needed to be with someone he knew he could trust someone he knew that wouldn't hurt him. Drake could feel his body still shaking and hoped that Josh wouldn't notice. The prickling sensation was slowly fading, but the growing sense of fear in the pit of his stomach remained making him feel sick.

_"It's just from the lack of sleep. I'm just freaking myself out."_ Drake thought, trying to reason with himself. Slowly, he felt his body shake less and less and by the time Josh pulled into their driveway, he wasn't shaking at all, yet, he couldn't shake off the fear he now felt.

"Thanks Josh." Drake muttered before grabbing his backpack and headed into the house, and he meant it. Drake was truly thankful Josh had shown up when he did, he had been so paranoid back at school that if Josh hadn't shown up when he did, Drake would have started walking home.

_Now_ Josh knew there was something wrong with Drake; Drake never thanked him for driving him to school or giving him a ride home. Josh stuffed the car keys into his pocket and followed his brother into the house. He decided that if Drake didn't look any better tomorrow then he would question Drake whether he liked it or not.

As the two teenagers walked inside their house, neither one of them was aware of a white truck slowing in front of the house, then accelerating and taking off in the opposite direction. A tall man with tousled brown hair sat in the driver's seat of the truck wearing a look of pure satisfaction.

_**Hope you like the story so far. I have finals coming up so I may not be able to update as regularly as I would like, but I will update as soon as possible. Thanks to those who read and reviewed this story, it really means a lot to me. Like I said, I'm always open to hear what people think of my story and any ideas they have. **_

_**I apologize that this chapter is kind of short, I will try and make future chapter longer.**_

_**Thanks,**_

_**Fantasyforever1989**_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh or any of the other characters in this story. All rights go to the creators of the show.

Drake leaned against his bed, his guitar resting comfortably in his lap. This was how Josh found his brother when he walked into their room.

"Dude, it's like 4:00 in the afternoon and you haven't even gotten out of bed, when do you plan on taking a shower?" Josh asked smirking.

"It's Saturday, I don't have to do anything." Drake replied back strumming his guitar not really playing anything in particular.

"Don't you have a date or something? It's not like you to spend a Saturday lounging around the house." Josh said sitting down on his computer, Drake rolled his eyes.

"What is this twenty questions? And for your information I _do_ have a date, but not until seven, I'm meeting Laura at the Premiere." Drake replied Josh shook his head; he had given up on trying to keep track of the many girls Drake dated.

"Whatever." Josh said and turned to his computer to check his e-mail. Drake continued playing his guitar for another hour or so until he decided to get something to eat. After carefully setting his guitar back in its stand, Drake walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

"You're still in your pajamas?" Walter Nichols asked as Drake was leaving the kitchen with a bag of cheetos and a soda.

So?" Drake asked sarcastically before making his way up the stairs. Walter shot his stepson a confused look before settling down onto the living room couch.

Drake was flipping through channels trying to find something remotely interesting on T.V when he glanced down at his watch and was surprised to see that it was a little after six.

"Damn." Drake muttered as he quickly stood up and headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Drake sighed heavily and closed his eyes as he became surrounded by hot water and steam. There was something about the sound of the water and the way it bounced off his skin that always had a calming effect on him. Drake winced slightly as his hands ran over old scars on his abdomen, making him curse softly. He found the fact that he still cringed whenever someone touched his back or side pathetic. After all, it had been four years since he had seen the man known as his father, why couldn't he just forget about him?

Drake stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist as he shook his head in an attempt to clear these thoughts out of his head.

At a quarter till seven, Drake grabbed his car keys and headed toward the door.

"Be back before your curfew." Audrey called out at her son.

"Yea, yea." Drake muttered waving a hand at his mother and closed the door behind him.

Once he arrived at the Premiere, he leaned against the side of a theatre and looked around for his date. He spotted her sitting at one of the round tables by herself sipping a soda.

"Hey." Drake said as he slid into the seat opposite of Laura, who looked up and smiled at him.

"Hi, I bought us tickets for the 7:15 show, I hope that's alright?" She said grinning, Drake nodded.

"Yea, that's fine." Drake said studying the girl closely and smiled with satisfaction. Laura was tall and thin and had a deep shade of wavy brunette hair that hung nicely just passed her shoulders, and to top it off, she was wearing a mini-skirt.

The couple made their way into the movie theatre, and of course once the movie started, they devoted very little time to watching the movie. Drake had his mouth pressed against Laura's and one of his hands tangled in her hair when he suddenly felt the uneasy prickling sensation on the back of his neck. Out of pure shock, his eyes widen and he broke away from Laura.

"Not again, he's not here, he _can't_ be here." Drake silently told himself, taking several steadying breaths. Laura looked at Drake confused and offended.

"What the hell Drake?" she asked, squinting in the darkness and looking at the teenage boy closely. Drake was glad that they were in a dark theatre that way she wouldn't see the terrified expression on his face, she did however notice that he seemed to be shaking slightly.

"Are you alright Drake?" Laura asked, her annoyance for the moment disappearing. Drake swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded.

"Yea, sorry about that, my cell phone went off and it's on vibrate, it just surprised me that's all." Laura continued to stare at him through the darkness, she slowly nodded her head.

"Okay." She replied slowly, Drake grinned at her and leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips.

"I'll be right back; I'm just going to check who it was who was calling me. You want a refill on your soda?" Drake said. He needed to get some air and try and calm himself down. The prickling sensation on the back of his neck hadn't gone away and his legs were still trembling.

"Yea, sure diet Mr. Fizz." Drake nodded and kissed her one more time.

"Be right back." He said as he grabbed her cup and stood up, quietly making his way out of the theatre.

The minute he walked out of the darkness, he blinked several times before his eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the Premiere. He leaned his head against the wall and briefly closed his eyes, savoring the fact that people were all around him. He hated being paranoid but this was the second time in a week that he had the feeling that his father whom he hadn't seen since he was twelve was watching him.

Drake opened his eyes and sighed, he was still trembling and his stomach was doing nervous summersaults making him feel sick. Every nerve in his body was on edge. Taking deep, staggering breaths Drake walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face several times. He turned off the water but he didn't grab some paper towels to dry his face. He just firmly gripped the edges of the sink and kept his head hung over with his eyes closed and let the water drip off his face into the sink.

"Why? Why do you still have an effect on me after all these years?" Drake whispered into the sink. Slowly, he calmed himself down. He opened his eyes and was extremely grateful that no one had seen him. Having Josh see his weakness was one thing, letting the rest of the world see his weakness was a completely different story. After all, he was cool, sexy, ladies charmer Drake Parker. He had a reputation to uphold and having a mental breakdown at a movie theatre definitely did not fit into that picture.

Drake sighed and stood up straight as he grabbed a few paper towels and dried his face. It was then that he caught a glimpse of his reflection. His face was a shade paler than usual and his eyes still had a petrified look to them.

"Shit." Drake muttered as he studied his reflection.

He pulled some hair out of its part and let it fall a little over his eyes just in case he ran into anyone he knew on his way back to the theatre.

He was almost back to the theatre when he remembered the empty cup in his hand. Drake sighed and turned around toward the concession stand. He didn't know how long he had been gone and hoped that Laura hadn't gotten annoyed with his behavior and got up and ditched him.

"What can I get you?" a male's voice said.

"Huh? Oh, a refill of diet Dr. Fizz." Drake said, bringing his attention away from his thoughts. He handed the empty cup to the guy running the concession stand and waited patiently why he refilled the drink.

"Enjoy your movie." The guy said grinning; Drake managed a small grin in return.

"Thanks." Drake muttered and walked back to the theatre and was relieved to see that Laura was still sitting in the same seat waiting for him.

"Hey, sorry it took so long, there was a long line." Drake lied and kissed Laura, who grinned and took the soda from him.

"It's okay." She replied eating up Drake's lie and leaned in closer to him. Drake responded by wrapping his arms around her and pulled her closer as they began making out again. By the end of the movie Drake was feeling excessively calmer. The color that he had lost in his face had returned and his eyes were no longer filled with fear and terror. He was also relieved that the prickling sensation on the back of his neck had gone away, even though he still had a nervous feeling in his stomach. He walked out of the theatre with Laura's hand in his and began kissing her again just as they reached the door.

"So, you want to do this again sometime?" Laura asked as they broke apart, Drake grinned at her.

"Sure, just say when and where." Drake replied and once again leaned in to kiss her. Even though he felt better than he had earlier, he didn't feel like being alone, so he tried to stay with Laura as long as possible. Eventually though, Laura broke the kiss for the last time that night.

"I have to go, my dad will ground me until I'm thirty if I miss curfew again." Laura said.

"Oh come on, it's just after nine, you still have an hour until you have to be home, and anyways don't you think that by seventeen you should be allowed to stay out later than ten." Drake said grinning at her, Laura grinned back at him.

"Yea, I agree with you but since my little brother has to be home at ten, my dad says it's fair that I have to be too. You're lucky that once you turned seventeen your parents let you stay out later on the weekends. And, anyways I promised my brother that I'd stop on my way home and rent him a movie." Laura replied as she brushed some stray hair out of Drake's eyes, Drake sighed.

"Okay, I get it, I'll call you." Drake said and kissed her one more time.

"Bye Drake." Laura said then walked off towards her car. Drake sighed as he stood against the wall and watched Laura start her car and speed off onto the main road.

He really didn't feel like going home yet, but there really wasn't anywhere interesting he could go. Groaning, Drake pulled his keys out of his pocket and decided to go home. He had only taken a few steps outside when the prickling sensation returned to his neck, he closed his eyes and cursed silently, telling himself that he was just being paranoid. Before he could take another step though, a rough hand covered his mouth from behind and another wrapped itself around his waist. Drake felt his back stiffen and his body go rigid before he started violently shaking out of shock and fear. He tried to run but that only caused the hands holding him to get tighter.

"You're quite the ladies man aren't you?" Rick Parker hissed in his son's ear.

Drake tried to scream but was unsuccessful. Even if there wasn't a hand covering his mouth he wouldn't be able to make a sound louder than a whimper, his vocal chords weren't working properly at the moment. He tried again to get free, and again was unsuccessful.

"Stop struggling and do as I say you piece of shit. You never were very good at following the rules. Now, will you promise not to scream if take my hand off your mouth?" Rick snarled at Drake who was on the verge of tears.

He wanted to scream, to alert someone, _anyone_ and get some help, but knew that was far out of the question. Slowly, Drake nodded and felt his father's hand leave his mouth and twist him around to face him. His father had let go of his waist but kept a firm grip on his elbow in case Drake tried to make a run for it.

"Wha..." Was all Drake could manage to say, this made Rick laugh, his mouth twisted into an evil grin.

"What's the matter? Not happy to see your old man?" Rick said in a mocking sarcastic tone that Drake hadn't heard in years.

"This isn't happening; oh God please not let this be happening! Please let this be another bad dream and I'm going to wake up any minute!" Drake prayed, even though he knew it was in vain. As vivid as his nightmares were, they were never as realistic as this; he knew he wasn't dreaming, his father was back.

"Come on." Rick hissed and forced Drake to walk forward, who had no choice but to obey. Rick led him to the side of the building next to the dumpster. Before Drake could react, he was knocked off his feet.

"Do you know the hell I went through because of you? Because of you, your mother left me." Rick said angrily and kicked Drake hard in the ribs, making him cough.

"No…I didn't…please!" Drake gasped finding his voice. He didn't feel like he was seventeen, he felt like he was twelve years old again curled up on the living room floor.

"Yes it is! If it weren't for you, your mother and I would still be married. Your sister never got in the way, it was only you." Rick yelled pulling his belt off and slapping Drake's back. Drake let out a loud gasp, unable to suppress the pain he felt. Tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly tried to hide them from his father. He hadn't felt the stinging sensation of a belt for years, so even though he knew what it felt like, this beating felt like it was the first time all over again.

"I…I didn't…you were the one….that…had the affair." Drake stammered, but immediately regretted standing up to his father when the belt came down harder on his back.

"How DARE you talk back to me! You always were and always will be weak!" Rick hissed as he beat Drake again.

"Please…" Drake begged, but Rick wasn't listening to him.

"I see that you've lost your manners, but no worries, I'll make sure that you learn them again soon enough." Rick said with an evil grin as he put his belt back on. Rick knelt down beside his shaking son.

"Now that I'm back, you better start obeying my rules, and if you breathe a word of this to anyone, you'll wish you've never been born, got that?" Rick hissed with an evil sneer across his face, Drake merely nodded as he tried to keep from crying. Rick smirked evilly as he watched his son. He then stood up and began walking away.

"See you soon." Rick said with the same malicious grin before disappearing in front of the Premiere. Drake let out a loud sob and curled up on the ground crying trying to make any sense of the past couple minutes.

"This can't be real! NO…GOD NO!" Drake silently screamed. Besides the throbbing pain in his back and ribs, Drake realized that he was hyperventilating. Trying not to panic, Drake slowly forced himself into a sitting position and leaned against the wall of the Premiere and tried to steady his breathing, which he found out was difficult to do when you're crying.

"Okay Drake pull it together." Drake told himself, he tried to take several deep breaths and after several long minutes, his breathing slowly returned to its normal pace. Drake leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. The only thing he kept thinking of was why. Why did his father have to come back? Why now?

The nervous knot in his stomach did a summersault causing Drake to open his eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. Drake fell forward onto his hands and knees and vomited on the pavement. He stayed in this position for a few minutes until he finally felt that he could stand up. Slowly on shaky legs, Drake somehow made it to his car. He fumbled in his pocket for the keys for the second time that night and slid into the driver's seat. He sat there for another minute, his brain still not able to fully process what had happened. One minute he was kissing a hot girl goodbye and the next he was lying face down on the ground being beat by his father. Drake swallowed nervously and let out a staggering breath as he started the car and drove home in a fog.

When he reached his house, Drake hesitated for a moment before taking his car keys out of the ignition and walking into his house. He was extremely grateful that no member of his family was in the living room or kitchen; he assumed they all were in their rooms.

Trying not to wince in pain, Drake gingerly climbed the stairs but he didn't go to his room, he went straight into the bathroom and quickly locked the door behind him. He pulled off his shirt and carefully wiped his wounds hissing in pain just as he had done years ago, then he washed any blood and tears off his face. When he was done he stared at his reflection in the mirror. If he thought he was pale earlier, it was nothing compared to how white his complexion was now, not to mention that his eyes were red and puffy from crying.

Drake took several deep breaths and tried to calm himself down as he felt his chest tightening again. He let out a low, staggering breath and did the only thing he knew that would relax him, something he swore to himself he would never do again a few years ago.

Drake rummaged in the drawer under the sink and pulled out his razor. He slumped down against the side of the bathtub and slowly dragged the razor across his left arm. As he did, his body stopped shaking a little bit as he watched his blood surface on his arm. He cut himself again and slowly felt his body relax. Once he had made five more cuts on his arm, Drake let the razor slip from his hand and pressed a towel against his bleeding arm.

"How did I end up like this again?" Drake said out loud. Suddenly, he felt exhausted. Drake pulled on a sweatshirt that he had grabbed from his car over his head and twisted the shirt he was wearing around the bloody towel in his hand. Barely mustering the energy to stand up, Drake stumbled into the laundry room and quickly put the shirt and the towel on the bottom of the laundry basket. He would get up early tomorrow and do his laundry, right now he could barely keep his eyes open; his body was too emotionally and physically drained that walking from the laundry room to his bedroom felt like effort.

When he opened the door to his bedroom, Josh looked up at him from a magazine.

"Hey brother, how was your date?" Josh asked happily. Drake just stared at him.

"Oh that, yea that was fine. Didn't see much of the movie." Drake muttered as he walked over to his bed and pulled on some plaid pajama bottoms.

"Are you going to bed?" Josh asked curiously, Drake nodded, not feeling like speaking.

"It's only a little past eleven, isn't that a little early for you to go to sleep on a Saturday night?" Josh asked, concern rising up again for his brother. Drake sighed.

"I'm fine Josh, just tired" Drake muttered quickly and climbed the ladder to his bed.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good." Josh said watching Drake carefully and noticed how pale he was.

"I said I'm fine Josh, I'm just tired." Drake repeated more firmly. He really wasn't in the mood for Josh to be prying into his personal life; Josh opened his mouth then shut it, then opened it again.

"Look Drake, I'm sorry if you think that I've been pestering you lately I'm just worried about you." Josh said gently. Drake let out a heavy sigh.

"I know Josh, but I promise there's nothing you need to worry about. I just haven't been sleeping very well lately, no big deal." Drake said quietly, Josh didn't look too pleased with the answer but decided to leave it be for now. Drake really did look extremely tired, and before Josh went to turn off the light in the room, Drake had already closed his eyes and to Josh appeared to be in a restful sleep. In truth, Drake was once again tormented by his nightmares that had come to life that night.

_**Okay, I know that I originally made Drake sixteen, but having him seventeen made more sense so I changed it, just to clarify if anyone was confused by that. As I said before, I have finals coming up in school so I may not be able to update as frequently as I would like, but I will update as soon as possible, and in two weeks I'll be on winter break so I'll have five weeks of freedom.**_

_**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, and if I haven't personally replied to your review, I apologize, I try to reply to all of them but sometimes I accidently skip one.**_

_**Thanks,**_

_**Fantasyforever1989**_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh or any of the other characters. All rights go to the creators of the show.

Drake let out a heavy sigh as he grabbed some books from his locker and shoved them into his backpack. It was the end of a long Monday, and Drake was exhausted. Ever since his encounter with Rick Parker just over a week ago, Drake had hardly slept. Nights were now Drake's least favorite time out of the 24 hour day, where as he used to love being out at night, he now dreaded every day when the sun set.

During the day, Drake could surround himself around people, which made him feel slightly more protected. His father was smart enough to not attack him in a crowd and Drake used this to his advantage. It wasn't very hard for Drake to put himself in a crowd considering he was so popular, but nights were a different story. During the night, Drake was forced to lie in his bed trembling for hours, too afraid to move a single muscle in his body. Every time someone shut the bathroom door behind them or a car could be heard out the window, Drake would jolt up and hold his breath out of pure fear and scan his room in the darkness for any sign of movement.

Once he would determine that there was no one in his room except Josh, Drake would lie back down in his trembling petrified state until another sound or some movement would make him jolt up again. The only sleep he got lately was the naps he took when pure exhaustion would take over the fear and trembling and force him to sleep. These naps however, only ever lasted an hour or two before Drake would be startled awake again by something. He would try and make up for his lack of sleep during class and on the weekends as best he could, but he still always appeared exhausted, a fact that Josh never seemed to get tired of bringing up.

"Hey brother from another mother!" Josh said behind Drake, who nearly dropped his backpack as his back went rigid and he gasped. He closed his eyes and swore under his breath for jumping.

"Are you trying to give me heart failure?" Drake snapped taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.

"What? No, hey, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you or anything?" Josh replied a little puzzled by Drake's reaction.

He hadn't meant to sneak up on his brother or anything, and this wasn't the first time Josh had come up from behind to meet Drake. Something was definitely wrong with Drake, but so far, he had kept silent about whatever was bothering him, even though his behavior the past week had only confirmed Josh's suspicion that something was seriously bugging Drake. For one thing, he never looked rested anymore and was way more jumpy and paranoid then Josh had ever seen him.

Drake took another deep breath and zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Forget it, no big deal." Drake muttered, not wanting to bring more attention to his weakness then he already had.

Josh just nodded. Once again, he wanted to question Drake and beg him to open up to him, but pushing Drake wasn't the way to get him to open up.

"So, you ready to head home?" Josh asked, Drake nodded, relieved that Josh didn't bother questioning him.

The two brothers drove in silence; Drake leaned his head back against the passenger's seat and closed his eyes. Josh looked over at his brother and saw that Drake had fallen asleep.

"He needs it." Josh thought sadly, bringing his attention back to the road.

Josh pulled into their driveway a few minutes later and turned off the ignition. He turned to Drake and reached his hand out slowly. He didn't want to wake Drake up, there was something about the way he looked, he looked peaceful, but he knew he had to. Josh sighed and gently rubbed Drake's shoulder.

"Wake up bro, we're home." Josh said, Drake jumped slightly, startled as he opened his eyes and realized he was still in the car. He thought that he had closed his eyes for a few seconds; he hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep.

"Come on, we're home." Josh repeated as he opened the car door, Drake stifled a yawn as he followed Josh inside their house.

"Oh good, you guys are home. Go out front and help your mother bring in groceries." Walter said setting two bags filled with groceries on the kitchen counter.

"Why isn't Megan helping?" Josh retorted.

"Megan is at her friend Jeanie's house working on a school project, now go." Walter said strictly pointing to the front door. Grumbling, both boys made their way to the front door and helped unload groceries from the back of Audrey's car.

Later that night Drake woke from one of his naps drenched in sweat. He sat up and looked at the clock, and let out a groan when he saw it was a quarter to three in the morning. He laid back down, but as usual sleep for Drake Parker was now almost impossible. He couldn't relax, or let his body rest all because he was too consumed with fear and anxiety.

Drake laid on his side curled up and wrapped his arms around his knees taking several deep breaths in an attempt to help relax himself with little success. His mind kept racing with the images of being beaten by the side of The Premiere, then he began thinking of his childhood and the pain he felt nearly daily. Suddenly, Drake felt the now familiar feeling of his chest tightening, threatening to block his airways.

Cursing, Drake quietly slipped down the ladder on his bed and out the bedroom door so as to not wake up Josh and made his way to the bathroom as quickly as possible. He knew he needed to calm himself down or he would start hyperventilating again.

Drake hastily grabbed his razor from the drawer under the sink and sat down against the cabinet. He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, he pressed the razor down onto his left arm and slid the blade across his skin. He exhaled slowly as he watched the blood ooze out of the cut. He repeated this action until he felt the tightness in his chest lighten and his muscles relax. Drake let out another sigh of relief and closed his eyes again while he leaned his head back against the cabinet, not bothering to clean the bloody mess on his arm he had created just yet.

"Man, how pathetic am I to have to hurt myself just to keep myself calm." Drake thought angrily. It had been only a few days over a week since the reappearance of his father, and Drake had already cut himself quite a few times since that night. Cutting was Drake's lifeline, his release, his drug of choice. After a few more minutes, Drake opened his eyes and studied the damage he had inflicted on himself.

The bottom half of his arm was covered in an array of bloody cuts that were bleeding profusely. Drake reached into the drawer under the sink once again and grabbed a washcloth and pressed it down on his arm. He stayed in this position for several minutes until the bleeding had slowed to an almost stop. A few of the slightly deeper cuts were still bleeding lightly but Drake didn't really care, they would stop bleeding in time. Feeling much more relaxed as he always did after he cut, Drake pulled down his long sleeve night shirt over his am and stood up and walked quietly back into his and Josh's bedroom.

He tucked the bloody towel into his underwear drawer so no one would find it, before climbing back into his bed. Drake fell into a light doze as a result of being relaxed but was soon startled awake by a car backfiring outside. Drake let out a groan before laying back down curled up in his paranoid fear-like state.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mr. Parker!"

Drake opened his eyes jumping at the sound of someone screaming his name. He looked up and saw the face of one of his least favorite faces at Belleview High, Linda Hayfer.

"Yes." Drake muttered in his casual bored tone.

"Drake, see me after class." Mrs. Hayfer said her cold eyes boring into Drake's. Drake sighed and nodded.

"Now then, everyone, please turn to page sixty-two in your books." Mrs. Hayfer said continuing on with her lesson. When the bell rang, Drake wanted more than anything to bolt out of the classroom like everyone else, but instead lagged behind and waited for the scolding to begin. When everyone had left, Mrs. Hayfer rounded on Drake.

"Drake, as I have told you before, I have dedicated my life to teaching children and as a result, I expect each and every one of my students to give my assignments their best effort. You however have chosen otherwise. Besides not completing the homework you were sleeping in class." Mrs. Hayfer said aggravated.

"So?" Drake replied shrugging his shoulders which caused Mrs. Hayfer to get even angrier.

"Detention, after school, if you're late this time it will be for a week. Is that clear?"

Drake suppressed a groan as he nodded.

"Yes, Mrs. Hayfer." He muttered before walking out the door where Josh as usual was waiting for him.

"Let me guess, detention again?" Josh asked with a smirk, Drake nodded.

"You can still give me a ride home after right?" Drake asked. Josh shifted his backpack on his shoulder awkwardly.

"I'm sorry man, I can't. I promised Mindy I'd go over to her house and study for next week's Chemistry test, and then I have to work until 9:00 so I won't have much time to do my homework later." Josh said apologetically.

"You have a whole week to study for that test. Come on man I really need a ride." Drake said, hoping he didn't sound too desperate, even though he was. It was true that Drake had walked home a few times when Josh couldn't give him a ride, but now he couldn't stand being alone.

"Look man, I'm sorry." Josh said again. Drake looked up into his brother's eyes and could see that he truly was sorry and really felt bad about not being able to give him a ride home. Drake swallowed, telling himself that it was no big deal to walk home.

"It's cool dude, don't worry about it." Drake replied putting on a fake smirk.

"See you at home." Josh said before walking away.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Drake trudged to Mrs. Hayfer's classroom where he was forced to copy passages from Mrs. Hayfer's favorite books this time around. After, he walked once again out into a near empty hallway.

As he made his way to the front door he tried to calm himself down, repeating the phrase that he was just being paranoid like a mantra. Once he was outside, he inhaled the fresh air closing his eyes briefly in another effort to calm his heighten nerves before he started to walk home.

Drake had only walked two blocks when he noticed a white truck trailing him. He held his breath unable to breathe for a minute. Drake continued walking as he licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Running is pointless, he has a car, I'm trapped." Drake thought. All he could do was wait for his father to slow to a stop, which he did a few minutes later.

"Get in." was all Rick Parker said roughly and Drake seeing no way out took a deep breath then opened the passenger door.

Rick Parker looked over at his son and grinned at how nervous he looked.

"Where are you taking me?" Drake asked quietly.

"My place, I think I deserve to spend some quality time with my own son." Rick said with a smirk.

"I don't." Drake thought bitterly but knew better than to say it out loud.

"My mom will wonder where I am if I'm not home by dinner." Drake said quietly, which caused Rick to take one hand off the steering wheel and slap Drake across the face.

"How many times have I told you to NEVER question me?" growled Rick.

Drake swallowed the nervous lump in his throat again and leaned his head against the window. However, he was only able to stay in this position for a few seconds before he felt his father backhand him again.

"Sit up straight! It's rude to slouch.

Drake sat up straighter and let out a heavy sigh. A few minutes later Rick pulled up to an apartment building and led Drake into a decent sized apartment.

"Sit down." Rick said roughly.

Slowly, Drake sat down on the couch and examined the apartment. The kitchen and the living room made up the main part of the apartment. On the other side of the kitchen there was a hallway that Drake only assumed led to bedrooms and a bathroom.

"Here." Rick said forcefully, shoving a glass into Drake's hands.

"What is this?" Drake asked, not drinking the liquid.

Rick narrowed his eyes at his son before knocking the drink out of his hand and pulling Drake to his feet by his shirt.

"UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!" Rick snarled angrily, punching Drake in the stomach hard causing him to fall on the floor on his stomach in pain.

"When someone gives you something, you accept it!" Rick growled kicking Drake at each word.

"I…I'm…sorry." Drake gasped clutching his stomach.

"LIAR!" Rick screamed and kicked Drake onto his back.

"Take off your shirt!" Rick ordered.

"Please…" Drake protested, but Rick was not in the mood. He bent forward slightly and wrapped one hand around Drake's throat, pulling him to his feet.

"How many times do I HAVE to tell you? When I tell you to do something you do it! You deserve this Drake. When you don't use proper manners, you have to be taught them." Rick whispered, still holding Drake by the throat who struggled desperately gasping for oxygen as his airways were constricted.

Rick angrily threw Drake back onto the floor, who coughed and took great gulps of air.

"Now, take off your shirt!" demanded Rick once again.

Drake, seeing no other choice shakily brought his hands up and pulled his shirt off over his head. Rick immediately began giving Drake the whipping of a lifetime, which left Drake gasping on the floor. He rolled over and let out a dull moan against his will when he felt his back damp with blood. Rick appeared to be enjoying seeing his son writhing in pain, as he sat on the couch and watched Drake struggling on the floor.

"Now GO! Get out of here you piece of shit! After all, like you said, we wouldn't want mommy to worry about you. I wanted to spend time with you but you don't deserve it, this should teach you a lesson for next time. Maybe one of these days you'll show me the damn respect I deserve." Rick said evilly.

Drake waited in vain for a slight second waiting for Rick to grab his car keys to drive him home, but instead he threw an empty bottle at him, which Drake barely dodged by ducking.

"Are you deaf you piece of shit? I said get OUT!" roared Rick.

Trying not to wince in pain, Drake made his way to the door and stepped outside. He leaned heavily against the wall, clenching his eyes shut in pain. Anger coursed through his body like fire, acting on impulse and a sudden rush of adrenaline, Drake punched the wall several times before turning around and sliding down into a sitting position against it. A minute later he glanced down at his fist and saw that on both hands, they were bruised and bloody, but he couldn't help notice how much more relaxed he felt. The wall had acted as a substitute for cutting.

After a few more minutes had passed, Drake glanced around him and tried to find his bearings. Slowly, he stood up again wincing in pain and began walking. It didn't take long for him to figure out where he was, but it was at least an hour's walk to his house and there really was no one he could call to come pick him up. Josh was either at work or at Mindy's house still, and the last thing he wanted to do was explain to his parents why he looked like he just got his ass kicked. He probably could get a ride from one of his band members, but again, he wasn't in the mood to even think of a cover story if someone he knew saw him like this. Drake let out a deep breath and slowly began the long painful walk home.

When his house came into view Drake quickened his pace, desperate to be in the safety of his home. As quietly as possible Drake pushed the door opened and walked inside.

"Drake?" Came Audrey's voice from the living room.

Drake quickly threw on his sweatshirt over his long sleeved shirt to hide any bloodstains on his back and made sure the sleeves were pulled over his hands to cover his bruised knuckles which were now covered in dried blood.

"Yea" Drake replied.

"I was wondering when you would be home, Josh said you had to stay after school and he couldn't give you a ride but it doesn't take two and a half hours to walk home from school Drake?" Audrey asked expecting an explanation while studying her son carefully.

"Oh sorry mom, I ran into some friends and we ended up going to the mall to get some fries." Drake lied.

"You know you're supposed to call." Audrey chastised.

"My cell was dead." Drake lied again. It was almost amusing how easily lying came to Drake.

Audrey gave Drake an odd look; something didn't seem right about him. He appeared to be in a hurry and if her eyes weren't mistaken he looked a little pale.

"Are you feeling alright? You look a little under the weather." Audrey asked concerned. Drake put on his usual smirk.

"Mom, I'm fine, just a little sweaty, we walked around outside for a little bit before going into the mall." Drake lied once again

As Audrey continued to study her son, she wasn't sure if he was lying to her or not, but there was something in his voice that made Audrey trust him. He always knew what to say and how to say it to get his way. Whether Drake was just putting on an act for her, or every word he said was true it was working. Audrey sighed then looked up at Drake in his eyes.

"Okay, but if you don't call next time, you'll be grounded for two weeks." Audrey said authoritatively.

Drake nodded and walked up the stairs as quickly as he could, trying to ignore the throbbing pain throughout his body. He went to the bathroom and did his usual after-beating routine of cleaning his injuries and making sure no evidence was left for someone to accidentally find.

Later that night after dinner Josh couldn't help but stare at his step brother. He was beyond concerned for Drake, but now if possible he was even more concerned. Drake usually scarfed down every inch of his dinner but that night he had barely taken two bites before going upstairs and taking a shower.

Drake wasn't oblivious to his brother staring and it was starting to piss him off. He knew that Josh suspected that something was wrong, but that wasn't his fault. Finally, Drake turned around and questioned Josh.

"Is there something you want?" Drake asked irritated.

"Huh? Oh, it's just…well, I know you're tired of me bringing this up, but man you really don't look good. You're just not acting like yourself, and I'd be lying bro if I said I wasn't worried." Josh said, hoping Drake would understand. Drake glared at Josh.

"Look, stop worrying about me Josh, I can take care of myself." Drake said coldly before walking out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

"I can't stop worrying about you, brothers are supposed to be there for each other, so I'm going to be there for you." Josh said quietly to himself as he stared at the slammed door.

_**Okay, I know I said I would update sooner than I did and I truly am sorry about that. I kept re-writing this chapter, and I'm still not too happy with it. The thing is I know where I want this story to go and I have future chapters in my head and all planned out, but I'm having a little bit of a problem filling in the gap because I don't want to rush things together. I DO plan on finishing this story. Well, I will try my very best to update on a fairly regular basis. **_

_**Once again, I'm very sorry I took so long to update and I will do better on updating with future chapters. Also, I apologize if this chapter is repetitive; I really tried to make sure it wasn't.**_

_**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, please tell me what you think of this chapter and story in general, it really means a lot to me, good or bad review. **_

_**-Fantasyforever1989**_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh or any of the characters. All rights go to the creator of the show.

"Friday afternoon…I should be happy." Drake thought bitterly as he tried to keep himself from once again falling asleep in class.

In about twenty minutes, the bell would go off letting everyone know that the weekend was finally here. Usually, Drake would be squirming on the edge of his seat, his eyes glued to the clock, waiting as the seconds ticked by until he could bolt for the door. Now he looked at the clock with dread instead of hope.

It was odd considering how much Drake hated school but the hours he spent sitting at a desk had become the only time he felt he could relax a little. School was the one place Rick Parker would leave him alone.

When the final bell did ring, as predicted, everyone jumped from their seats and rushed to the door. Drake on the other hand took his time throwing his things back in his backpack and leaned back in his chair. Josh grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulder when he noticed Drake still sitting at his desk with his backpack dumped on the floor beside him.

"You do know what the bell at the end of the day means right?" Josh asked with a smirk, Drake rolled his eyes.

"Yes." Drake muttered with a sigh, then grabbed his backpack and followed Josh out of the classroom.

"You got band rehearsal?" Josh asked as the pair made their way through the crowded main hall to the front doors.

"Uh, yea." Drake lied. Josh side-glanced at him.

"Alright, then I'll see ya tonight." Josh said smiling at Drake before heading to his car. Drake sighed and headed for the sidewalk on the other side of the road to begin his walk home, even though he knew he wouldn't get far.

Fridays meant Rick had two extra hours to do whatever the hell he wanted. Fridays, Drake had learned were Rick's "father-son day." Drake didn't understand why, considering Rick would pick any day of the week he felt like to get to him, but he didn't question him, he knew better. It had become a sick routine, and Drake felt like puking just thinking about it.

Every day after school Drake would make up some excuse to Josh as to why he didn't need a ride then would begin the walk home. He usually only got a block or two until Rick would pull up to the curb and without a word Drake would open the door and slide into the front seat. On lucky days, Rick wouldn't show up, but when he did the next day, he always paid for it double. Drake would do whatever Rick told him to do. If Rick wanted him to scrub his toilet with a toothbrush or do fifty sit-ups without stopping, he would comply without thinking. Rick would come up with the most ridiculous crap to make Drake do, and no matter how crazy or stupid it sounded, Drake would obey.

As if on cue, the now familiar drone of Rick's truck caught his attention, and Drake didn't need to look up to know that it was his father. He walked over to the truck without looking up and got in. When they entered Rick's apartment, Drake stood by the door waiting for his first order. Rick glanced over at him as he poured himself a drink.

"No son of mine will look scrawny. Men are supposed to have muscles, you look pathetic. Get your ass down and do one-hundred push-ups, maybe then your arms won't look so pathetic. You stop for a second and you'll regret it boy." Rick ordered as Drake lowered himself to the ground and into the push-up position. His ribs screamed in protest. He was beginning to think that he would permanently have at least one broken rib. He kept his midsection wrapped with an ace bandage which he wore under his clothes every day and night. The only time he ever took it off was when he showered or when Rick would forcefully yank it off to cause more damage.

Drake had done about twenty-five push-ups when Rick scowled at him and walked over to where Drake was now starting to sweat pushing through the pain in his body.

"You call that a push-up?" Rick growled, he picked up a foot and planted it down on Drake's back, forcing him back down on the ground with a thud. Drake bit his tongue to keep from wincing in pain.

"Get back up!" Rick snarled digging his foot into Drake's back. Drake closed his eyes and with all the energy he could muster tried to force his arms to straighten. Try as he might with Rick's weight crushing him, he could only lift himself half-way back up.

"I said GET UP!" Rick barked, stepping down even harder on Drake's back. Drake gasped as he struggled to breathe with the weight on top of him. Just when he thought he might not be able to breathe he suddenly felt the weight lifted and a kick to his side as he turned over to lie on his back.

"Useless." Rick muttered at Drake. He stood up and glanced at the kitchen with a smirk.

"You, get up, maybe you can try and make yourself useful, I want you to clean, mop, and polish the kitchen floor." Rick ordered, Drake groaned inwardly. He had cleaned, mopped, and polished the kitchen floor just yesterday, it wasn't dirty at all. Drake forced himself to stand with effort and made his way to the kitchen and pulled out the floor cleaner from under the counter. He was almost done scrubbing the floor and about ready to start mopping it when Rick came in, not realizing that the floor was still wet and slipped on the damp floor, he caught himself by grabbing the counter.

"You son of a bitch! How dare you try to hurt me!" Rick hollered grabbing Drake around his neck and pulling him to his feet. He dragged him back into the living room and slammed him up against the wall. Drake shook his head seeing stars for a split second from the impact.

"I didn't…try and hurt you." Drake gasped, his voice staggered from Rick's hand constricting his windpipe.

"Shut up!" Rick hollered releasing Drake and throwing him down on the ground. Drake coughed against his will and rolled over on his back.

"Take off your shirt; you need to learn some more manners." Rick growled. Drake bit his tongue and pulled his shirt off as fast as he could.

"Still wearing that thing?" Rick said amused gesturing towards the ace bandage wrapped around Drake's midsection, Drake knew better than to answer. He closed his eyes and waited for the beating to be over, trying his best to keep his face void from emotion. He clenched his jaw and counted the seconds, praying for the sound of Rick sliding his belt back onto his pants. Just as he thought he may break his jaw if he clenched it any tighter, he heard the clink of metal as Rick slid the belt back onto his pants. His back stung, he knew he was supposed to go to the bathroom and clean up now, that was still rule number one; don't leave evidence for people to suspect.

"Get up! You look like shit I can't drop you off at home looking like that." Rick said plopping down on the couch and turning on the TV. Drake wanted to obey, he really did, he just couldn't find the energy to stand up. He propped one hand on the ground and pulled himself to his knees breathing heavily. His whole midsection was throbbing painfully and his back stung like someone had poured hot liquid down it. Rick seemed to barely notice Drake's discomfort.

"You forget how to stand boy?" Rick said with a laugh. Drake didn't listen to Rick and focused solely on breathing evenly and standing up, two simple tasks that seemed extremely difficult at the moment. Somehow Drake had managed to pull himself up and into the small bathroom in Rick's apartment.

He gently pulled off the ace bandage and inspected the new damage done to his body. Bruises were already starting to form where Rick had kicked him and where he had slammed into the ground. Wincing, he gingerly removed the rest of his clothing and turned the shower on. It was easier than wiping all the blood away with a wet towel. He gasped when the water hit his back and he put his hand up on the side of the shower leaning heavily against it. The water made each new welt on his back sizzle painfully; he looked down and watched the pinkish water collecting at the drain. Once the water was running pretty much clear he would get out.

He knew he should be hurrying, but he couldn't force his body to move fast if he wanted it too. The bathroom was foggy and combined with lack of sleep, he found himself feeling very sluggish and lethargic. He shook his head trying to shake the fog from it, but it was useless. He felt like he was even thinking slowly. He finished drying himself off and with a few grimaces managed to pull his clothes back on when Rick barged into the bathroom clearly annoyed.

"What the hell are you doing in here that is taking so damn long?" Rick asked.

"Sorry." Drake mumbled. Rick gave him the once-over making sure all evidence was hidden before walking back into the living room.

"Alright, you get your ass out of here now. I have plans tonight." Rick snarled, Drake nodded following him into the living room and wincing leaned over to pick up his backpack which had been dumped by the door.

Moving slowly at an attempt to ease the pain in his ribs and now throbbing back, Drake had only been walking for about ten minutes before he had to stop and catch his breath. He shut his eyes in pain and leaned heavily against a tree taking short deep breaths. After a minute he opened his eyes, he managed only a few steps before a wave of dizziness hit and he found himself clutching another tree for support.

_Pull yourself together Drake, it's just a few miles you've made this walk plenty of times._ Drake mentally scolded himself, but to no avail, his brain still felt caught in a fog. He opened his eyes again, hoping the dizziness had passed only to find that a white haze seemed to outline everything in his vision._ This can't be good_. Hi muddled brain thought numbly.

"Hey kid, are you okay?" A male voice he didn't recognize said.

"Kid? Can you hear me?" The voice said again when Drake didn't answer; sound seemed to be coming through a narrow tunnel and echoed strangely. The last coherent thing he felt was warm hands catching him as he crashed towards the ground as his eyes fluttered closed and a voice shouting.

"Someone call 911!"

_**Hello everyone,**_

_**If anyone is still out there reading this story, thank you SO much for sticking with this story. I admit it, I am the worst person ever when it comes to updating my stories, and I'm really, really sorry I haven't updated this story in forever, I sort of was stuck on where to go with this and probably wrote and re-wrote this chapter three different times all starting differently.**_

_**Also, I'm sorry if this chapter feels kind of short, I'll try to make future chapters longer it just felt like a good ending point…little cliffy.**_

_**Reviews are still much appreciated and mean the world to me, let me know good or bad, and I will try to update again soon! **_

_**Thanks as always, you guys are awesome!**_

_**-Fantasyforever1989**_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh; all rights go to the creators of the show.

_**A/N: Just a quick thanks to everyone who has reviewed, you guys are awesome! You inspired me to try and update sooner!**_

_**Also, my medical training goes as far as ER and House, so I apologize for any medical inaccuracies…on with the story…**_

Drake tried to focus on what was going on around him but all he was able to make out was blurred sounds and pictures that swirled in and out of focus.

"Did he say anything before he lost consciousness?" A paramedic in a dark blue uniform asked, the middle aged man in front of him shook his head.

"No, I was just walking through the park to pick my kids up when I saw him leaning against a tree, he looked like he was having trouble breathing so I stopped to ask him if he was alright and he just fell, barely caught him before he hit the ground." The man replied, the paramedic nodded then turned back to the injured teen.

"Found ID." Another medic said as he fished though Drake's pockets and pulled out his wallet.

"His name is…Drake Parker, sixteen years old." The medic announced squinting down at Drake's driver's license.

"Drake? Drake can you hear me?" The first medic asked shaking Drake's shoulder gently. Sounds were still echoing strangely for Drake and he could barely let out a dull moan let alone open his eyes, he felt too tired.

"Semi-conscious, multiple cuts and bruises, no signs of spinal injury, though possible head injury, blood pressure is low." The second medic said, listing Drake's symptoms. Two other medics appeared with a stretcher and together carefully lifted him onto the gurney.

In the ambulance one of the medics pushed up Drake's sleeves to hook up an IV, but paused for a second when he noticed the large amounts of cuts on the boy's thin arms.

"He's a cutter." The medic said solemnly, gently easing the needle into his hand instead.

"Aw, kid." The first medic said rolling up Drake's other sleeve only to find just as many cuts. Another medic gently opened his eyes and shone a small flashlight into them, causing Drake to wince.

"Relax kid; we're not trying to hurt you okay?" The medic spoke in a soft voice, not wanting to scare him.

"He definitely has a concussion." The same medic said after shutting the small flashlight off. He then grabbed a pair of scissors and cut open Drake's shirt, exposing his chest. The medic frowned seeing more bruising, some which looked old and an ace bandage around his midsection.

"Oh man." One of the medics said surveying the damage.

"Do you think he was mugged?" The first medic asked, the second medic who took the ace bandage off and pressed lightly on Drake's ribs, causing him to grit his teeth in pain and try to squirm away from the medic's hands.

"No, I don't. His ribs have been broken more than once judging by the bruise pattern and some of these bruises are old too, I think we have an abuse case." The medic said flatly, cursing inwardly. He had seen too many kids nearly beaten to death and it never made him any less angry. He will never understand how someone could hit a child.

"Um…I think we should turn him over and look at his back." The other medic said, he had pulled Drake's now torn shirt from under him and saw that the back had been stained with blood. Very carefully two of the medics gently rolled Drake onto his side, their eyes widened when they saw the damage inflicted.

"Those are definitely cuts from a belt or some other sharp object." The medic said disgusted as he wetted a pad with antiseptic and dabbed at a few of the deeper cuts. Drake hissed and tried to get out of the medic's grasp holding him.

"Calm down Drake, we're just trying to help you, just lay still, you're okay." The medic said, trying to keep him calm.

They reached the hospital and wasted no time rushing Drake into the emergency room.

"What do we have?" A doctor wearing scrubs and a white coat asked as the paramedics wheeled Drake into an exam room.

"Male, sixteen years old, he passed out in the park, a passerby found him. He has multiple cuts and bruises, some are self-inflicted." The medic answered, pointing to Drake's cut arms.

"He also has some broken ribs and a concussion, blood pressure is low, and he is running a mild temperature. We suspect child abuse whether all or some of his injuries are a result of abuse we don't know…his name is Drake." The second medic added. The doctor nodded and began assessing Drake's injuries for himself.

"Drake?" The doctor said, testing to see how responsive the teen was. Drake's eyes fluttered and he once again tried to open them without success, his energy zapped. He tried to turn on his side to get off his back which was throbbing again.

"Alright, send him downstairs to get a chest x-ray; I want to make sure there's no internal bleeding, and do a full lab work-up." The doctor ordered injecting a drug into Drake's IV line.

"Drake? Can you open your eyes? You're in a hospital." The doctor said snapping his fingers in front of his face in an attempt to get him to open his eyes. Drake flinched and turned his head, the drugs the paramedics had given him in the ambulance were starting to work and he scrunched his eyes tightly before slowly opening them. Everything in his line of vision was a swirled mix of color and faces; he closed his eyes again as the blurriness made his head hurt more than it already did.

"That's good Drake, my name is Dr. Richardson, I need you to stay awake for me okay?" Dr. Richardson said, offering him a small smile. Drake cleared his throat and coughed before giving the doctor a weak nod to show that he understood, though he wasn't sure he could obey, he was awfully tired for some reason. He coughed again and winced at the pain in his chest; Dr. Richardson noticed this and ordered for some oxygen. Once the oxygen tube had been secured under his nose, a nurse ran the tube across his cheeks and let it fall behind his ears on either side. Another nurse rubbed a pad with rubbing alcohol and cleaned a small section of his arm before drawing the lab samples, being careful to avoid the many cuts on his arm that Dr. Richardson had ordered.

Twenty minutes later after he had been taken down for x-rays, Drake found himself in a small, white room, dressed in nothing but a thin hospital gown and a plastic band around his wrist with his name on it. A nurse kept shaking him whenever he started to doze off, the fog his head had been in was lifting slightly and he became aware of a dull throb in the back of his skull, giving him a headache. That Dr. Richardson guy told him he had a concussion and had explained that falling asleep could make his head injury worse so he tried his best to stay awake despite how exhausted he felt. As if on cue, a nurse walked in and walked over, smiling down at him.

"Drake, someone called your parents, they should be on their way here." The nurse said checking the monitors and tubes hooked up to him.

Drake's eyes shot open at the mention of his parents. Did they know how he had gotten hurt? What were they going to tell his parents? Dr. Richardson had asked him what happened to him, and Drake had easily lied saying that he had gotten into a fight with someone at school and that they had jumped him when he was walking home from school. Even though the doctor had asked him more than once, Drake gave him the same story. He only hoped that his talent to lie worked on someone with a medical degree and not just his mom and Walter. The nurse noticed the anxiety on his face and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

"I'm sure your parents are very worried about you, there's nothing to worry about." The nurse said offering him a small grin.

"I'll be back in a bit to check up on you, hit that red button if you need anything." The nurse said placing a hand control that was connected to the bed near his hand.

"Thanks." Drake said quietly and did his best to smile back at the nurse before she turned and walked out of the room.

"Have you called social services?" The nurse asked Dr. Richardson in the hall, who nodded.

"Yes, they should be here soon." Dr. Richardson sighed, Drake had said nothing that even remotely hinted to the abuse, he could tell that the kid was a good liar, but his injuries spoke for themselves this time. The nurse nodded then headed down the hall in the opposite direction.

Dr. Richardson grabbed the chart of another patient and was skimming the contents when a receptionist at the nurse's station walked over to him.

"A Walter and Audrey Nichols are here, they say that they are Drake Parker's parents." Dr. Richardson looked up and nodded.

"Thanks." He said before setting down the chart and heading towards the nurse's station.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nichols?" Dr. Richardson asked as he approached the couple. Audrey turned toward him, worry etched all over her face.

"Yes? I got a call that my son Drake Parker was brought here, they said he was in an accident but couldn't give me anymore details." Audrey said looking at the doctor in front of her for answers. Dr. Richardson stared at her.

"You are Drake Parker's parents?" Dr. Richardson asked calmly.

"Yes, I'm Audrey Nichols, this is my husband Walter." Audrey said putting a hand on Walter.

"You're not Drake's biological father?" Dr. Richardson asked, surveying Walter who scrunched his eyes in confusion a little annoyed at these questions and the fact that the doctor hadn't said anything about Drake's condition.

"No, I'm his stepfather, but what does that matter? What's wrong with Drake?" Walter asked slowly. Dr. Richardson nodded.

"I'm Dr. Richardson; I treated your son when he was brought in. He had several bruises and a few broken ribs along with a concussion. There's no sign of internal bleeding that we can see of and he is stable now. I have him on some medication to reduce the swelling and some pain killers to help keep him comfortable." He explained; Audrey brought a hand over her mouth hearing the news.

"Is he going to be alright?"She asked fearfully, Dr. Richardson nodded.

"He should make a full recovery yes." Dr. Richardson said.

"I don't understand, how did this happen? What type of accident was he in?" Walter asked.

"According to Drake, he was jumped walking home from school." Dr. Richardson said; Audrey looked up at him, the way he had said _according to Drake_, made it sound like he didn't believe him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked; Dr. Richardson stared straight at her.

"Mrs. Nichols, I have to say that I'm concerned at the amount of bruising I found on Drake, many of the cuts and bruises looked as if they could be several weeks old. Also, the x-ray of his chest that we took showed signs that he had broken ribs previous to today." Dr. Richardson waited for their response; Walter narrowed his eyes as he caught on to what the doctor was suggesting.

"Are you saying you think we hit Drake?" Walter asked appalled at the accusation.

"I'm saying Mr. Nichols that right now I can't allow you or your wife to see Drake until a social worker has talked to both of you as well as Drake." Dr. Richardson explained flatly, Audrey stepped forward angered.

"This is ridiculous! My husband and I have never once hit Drake, neither one of us would ever dream of hurting him." Audrey exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Nichols, but I'm afraid that can't be proven at this time, but I assure you Drake is safe and being well taken care of."

"Do we look like the type of parents who beat their kids? Honestly?" Audrey snapped, her voice rising.

"Mrs. Nichols, please calm down, I only did my job and that is I suspected abuse and was obligated by law to report it. If the social worker feels you are not of any harm to Drake then I can allow you to see him, however until then I'm afraid I can't. If you wait in the waiting room, I can go see if the social worker is here yet." Dr. Richardson said firmly. Audrey could think of about a hundred different things to show this doctor how she really felt but knew that wouldn't help her case. Instead, she let Walter who had his jaw clenched walk her to the waiting room and sat down in one of the hard chairs fuming inside.

"Where does that doctor come off saying crap like that?" Audrey huffed, worried and annoyed.

"I know." Walter agreed, trying to hold his own emotions at bay, yet at the same time knew that the doctor was as he had said, only doing his job. He was more concerned as to how Drake had gotten hurt, if it was true that he had bruising and broken ribs that were several weeks old, he wondered if Drake was being bullied at school and had kept quiet about it. Somehow though, that didn't feel right, he knew Drake was one of the popular kids at school. He shifted in his chair uncomfortably, he had a bad feeling.

Dr. Richardson walked back to the nurse's station to call upstairs to see where the social worker was. Minutes later, a balding man with thin glasses met him near the elevators.

"The patient is sixteen years old, he has bruising and broken ribs that are several weeks old, and claims that he was attacked walking home from school. He also has a large amount of self-inflicted cuts. His mom and stepdad are in the waiting room." Dr. Richardson explained to him, handing Drake's chart over. The social worker studied the chart and nodded.

"And where is his biological dad?" He asked, Dr. Richardson shrugged, he had been wondering the same thing but when he asked Drake, he had merely stated that his dad had left his mom when he was twelve and hadn't seen him since.

"Has he said anything about his parents?" The social worker asked; Dr. Richardson shook his head.

"Not that I know of no." He answered; the social worker nodded again before coming to a stop in front of Drake's room and followed Dr. Richardson in.

"Drake, this is Paul Johnson, he's a social worker and would like to talk to you for a few minutes if that's okay?" Dr. Richardson said; Drake's eyes widened in shock, why did they want him to talk to a social worker? This couldn't be good. Drake thought miserably as fear crept into his chest.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, I just have a few questions for you, okay?" Paul said warmly, Dr. Richardson nodded before leaving the room, leaving Drake alone with Paul.

"I know you told Dr. Richardson how you got hurt, but would you mind telling me again?" Paul began; Drake shifted on the bed and sighed.

"I was jumped walking home from school." Drake said flatly.

"And does this happen often?" Paul asked; Drake looked up at him not sure what he was looking for.

"No, I don't get jumped very often." Drake said a minute later. Paul sat down in one of the plastic chairs next to the bed, setting the chart down on the small bedside table.

"Do you tell your parents when you have fights at school?" Paul asked leaning forward in the chair, watching Drake closely who cocked his head to one side.

"Um…I don't really get in fights that often." Drake said confused, still not sure what this Paul character was getting at.

"I see do your parents get mad at you when you get into trouble?" Paul asked, Drake shrugged.

"They ground me, if that's what you mean." Drake answered.

"Do they ever do anything else as punishment?" Paul asked, watching Drake's reaction, who clenched his jaw as a sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

"What do you mean?" Drake asked slowly, thinking he already had an idea.

"Have your parents ever hit you when they were angry or threatened to hurt you?" Paul asked, Drake's eyes widened…they thought his mom and Walter were the ones that hit him…_oh man!_ Drake thought suppressing a sigh and forced himself to sit up a little straighter.

"My mom and Walter have never once hit me; they both care about me and help me when I ask for it." Drake answered firmly, he had to set the record straight. Paul looked for the normal signs of lying, but Drake wasn't fidgety or averting his gaze, he stared at him straight in the eye, his voice never wavering.

"Is someone else hurting you at home, a sibling or a grandparent perhaps?" Paul questioned further, Drake shook his head again firmly. The closest he ever got to being hurt at home was Megan's evil pranks, but he knew that's not what this guy was looking for.

"No, never, no one hits me at home." Drake said again with conviction.

"Is there someone outside home that is hurting you?" Paul asked, this time Drake visibly tensed and shifted on the bed.

"No." Drake lied after a minute, not looking up at Paul, who noticed the change in Drake immediately.

"Drake, you can trust me, I'm here to help you. If someone is hurting you, we can help you if you tell us who it is." Paul said gently, Drake shook his head again.

"No, I'm fine." Drake replied quickly, trying to keep his voice from wavering. Paul sighed inwardly, he was sure someone was hurting this boy, but he was also fairly certain that that someone wasn't his mother or stepfather. Paul kept quiet for a minute waiting to see if Drake would say anything else, when he didn't he decided to try and change the subject a little.

"How long have you been cutting yourself Drake?" Paul asked, Drake gawked at him, slightly shocked at his forwardness, he didn't know what to say to that. When he didn't reply, Paul stepped in again.

"Drake, it's not as secret as you may think, the evidence is quite clear, you don't get cuts like that naturally, someone had to make them." Paul said calmly. Drake looked away, his head sagging slightly.

"That's my business." Drake muttered just above a whisper.

"Drake, hurting yourself like that isn't healthy and is a serious problem. It's a dangerous habit to continue and we can get you the help you need, but you have to be willing to work with us." Paul said gently, Drake looked up at him, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't need you or anybody's help here." Drake replied coldly.

"This isn't something that will go away on its own Drake; don't you think your parents would want you to get help?" Paul said in the same calm voice. At the mention of his parents, Drake went hot and cold all over. He had been so focused on them not finding out about Rick that his arms were the last thing on his mind.

"You're not going to tell my parents right? I mean you have that whole patient-doctor confidentiality thing right?" Drake asked, hoping his voice didn't sound as nervous and scared as he felt.

"Normally yes, but in cases where the patient's health is at risk or someone's life is in danger it is necessary to tell one's parent or guardian. Also, you are a minor, meaning your parents are still responsible for you." Paul answered. Drake closed his eyes and took a quivering breath, trying to control the panic he now felt.

"Their reaction may surprise you, try and give them a chance."Paul said, hoping to help Drake relax, noticing the heart monitor jump. The last thing Drake needed right now was to have a panic attack.

"Okay Drake, I'm going to go talk to your parents real quick, I'm sure they really want to see you okay? Try and relax, everything will work out just give it time." Paul said after a minute, Drake wasn't going to tell him anything else at the moment, he was a stubborn one.

"Okay." Drake muttered in response, sinking back into the pillow. His mind was on Rick again, what if he found out he was here? He swallowed nervously and shook his head, not wanting to think about that. His stomach churned as his thoughts moved to his parents. What did the doctor say to them and what would this Paul guy say to them? His mom didn't even know that Rick had hit him as a kid; there was no way he could tell her now. It felt like just a minute had passed but before Drake knew it; his mom was in the room throwing her arms over him.

"Oh honey." Audrey cried pushing his hair back affectionately.

"I'm okay mom." Drake muttered, trying not to wince in pain. Audrey glanced at Walter unsure of what to say next. The social worker, Paul Johnson had said while there was no evidence that they were abusing Drake it was clear that someone was hurting him outside of the house. Dr. Richardson had told them also that Drake had been cutting himself. Audrey downright denied the accusation and refused to believe it. Drake would never do something like that to himself. However she felt her eyes sting as she couldn't help but glance down at her son's arms. Cuts zigzagged their way up and down the lower part of both his arms. Some were bright red and fairly fresh, while others had faded into pink and white scars.

"Drake…" Audrey began sitting on the bed, she took one of her son's hands in her own, holding it gently.

"Honey, is there anything going on that you need to tell us?" Audrey asked as gently as she could. Drake's stomach felt like a chunk of ice.

"No, if that Johnson guy said something to you, he doesn't know what he is talking about." Drake said swallowing hard; his throat was suddenly very dry.

"You can tell us anything Drake, if you're in trouble we can figure it out, you don't need to be afraid to tell us." Walter tried, hoping Drake would open up, but Drake just shook his head again. He leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing steady.

"I'm not in trouble." Drake said quietly, Audrey looked across the bed at Walter again; maybe she should just let him rest for now.

"Why don't you get some rest for now honey, we can talk about this later okay?" Audrey said sweetly.

"Okay." Drake said quietly. Walter looked down at his watch; one of them should call Josh and Megan and let them know what was going on.

"I'll be right back okay; I'm just going to let Josh know what's going on." Walter said smiling down at Drake, Drake opened his eyes and his throat went dry again at the thought of Josh. Lying to his parents was easy, but Josh was starting to learn how to read through his lies.

Walter closed his eyes and took a quivering breath when he was out in the hall. Seeing Drake hooked up to oxygen and all those tubes and monitors had been hard enough but what got to him was the scars on his arms. How could he have been so blind to his stepson's behavior? Sighing, he stepped outside and pulled out his phone, he hoped Josh was home by now and dialed the house.

"Hello?" A young female voice said.

"Megan? Is Josh home?" Walter asked.

"I think so, why?" Megan asked hanging off the living room couch bored.

"Can you check? I need to talk to him, it's important." Walter said. Megan frowned, something sounded off in Walter's voice, something was wrong.

"What happened?" She asked, Walter hesitated for a second, choosing his words carefully.

"Drake was…in an accident, your mom and I are at the hospital right now, he's going to be okay, you guys don't need to worry but I wanted to let you know what was going on." Walter finished with a heavy sigh. Megan chewed on her lip as she digested the news, Walter said that Drake was going to be okay, but his voice still shook, something was definitely not right, she had to get to the hospital to see for herself.

"What hospital are you guys at?"

"County, you don't need to worry about rushing over here, just get here when you can, I'm sure Drake would like to see you." Walter said swallowing a lump in his throat. Megan nodded.

"We'll be there soon." She said quickly over the line before hanging up and running upstairs.

"We need to go now." Megan said barging into Drake and Josh's room.

"Megan! How many times have I told you to knock? And where do we need to rush to that is so important?" Josh asked annoyed at his younger sister's intrusion.

"To County Hospital, Walter just called; Drake was in an accident that's all he told me. He said he's going to be okay." Megan said quickly, the color drained from Josh's face. Drake had been looking pale and tired for the past month or so and he had kept quiet, he knew something was wrong but every time he tried to ask Drake about it, he would shrug and say he was fine, but Josh was no fool. He mentally kicked himself for not speaking up earlier. Before Megan could say another word, Josh was in the kitchen snatching up his car keys, Megan was right behind him.

The drive to the hospital was silent, neither sibling speaking, both lost in their own thoughts. Josh kept his gaze ahead, focused on the road; Megan was leaning on the side of the passenger seat window watching as buildings and houses zoomed by. She sat up straighter as County Hospital came into view and Josh parked the car closest to the emergency entrance.

"Dad!" Josh called out as they walked into the emergency room waiting room. Walter was sitting in one of the uncomfortable chairs, his head bowed slightly; Josh could see the stress marks on his face.

"How's Drake? What happened?"

"What type of accident was he in?"

Josh and Megan fired at Walter, who stood up holding his hands up.

"Relax guys; Drake is going to be just fine, his doctor said he'll have to stay here for another day or two." Walter answered gently.

"What happened?" Megan asked again, Walter scratched the back of his head, something he only did when something was bothering him.

"He…um…well, he was jumped on his way home from school." Walter said lamely, he didn't believe the story but right now that was all they had to go off.

"He didn't go to his band's rehearsal?" Josh asked looking up.

"I don't know." Walter replied quietly.

"Can we see him?" Josh asked, Walter nodded.

"Yeah, sure, your mom is with him now." Walter answered before walking down the opposite hall towards Drake's room.

Drake appeared to be asleep and Josh had to bite his tongue to keep from gasping, he knew Drake was going to look bad, but he didn't expect him to look _this_ pale and sick. The IV drip in his hand and oxygen tube rammed up his nose didn't help his appearance either.

"It looks bad, but a concussion and some broken ribs are the worst of it." Audrey said quietly, stroking Drake's hand gently with her thumb. His skin was warm but she tried to ignore it as she held on to his hand. Josh studied Drake closer and frowned, he wasn't asleep he was just pretending to be. After sharing a room with him for so long, he could tell the difference.

Megan stayed quiet and silently slipped into the other plastic chair on the other side of the bed. She always teased Drake and played pranks on him, but she never wanted him to end up seriously hurt like this. A minute later a knock on the door made Josh jump and he turned to see a middle-aged doctor smiling at them.

"Hello, I see we have some more visitors." Dr. Richardson said smiling, nodding at Josh and Megan.

"These are our other kids, Josh and Megan." Walter introduced.

"Nice to meet you." Dr. Richardson said warmly walking into the room.

"Is my brother going to be alright?" Megan asked, she had to hear it from someone else than her parents. Dr. Richardson nodded firmly.

"Your brother is going to be sore for a week or two and he's going to need to take things easy for a while but other than that, he should be good as new in no time." Dr. Richardson said, he scribbled down some of the readings from the monitors then turned to Audrey.

"Everything looks good; he's healing as well as we can hope for." Dr. Richardson said, Audrey nodded.

"Why don't you go get something to drink or step outside for a few minutes, I'll have someone find you if Drake's condition changes." Dr. Richardson suggested. Audrey hadn't once left Drake's side since entering the room, her back was starting to get sore from sitting in the uncomfortable chair for so long but she ignored it.

"He's right honey, Drake needs to get some rest anyways, I think the cafeteria has some ice cream, come on. You want some ice cream too Megan?" Walter said. Megan looked up from her brother at her stepfather.

"I guess." She muttered, now that she had seen and heard for herself that Drake was going to be okay, she felt it was okay to leave.

Audrey sighed before letting go of Drake's hand, a few minutes out of this damn chair would be okay she thought slowly standing up.

"I'll let you know if anything in his condition changes." Dr. Richardson said again before leaving the room.

"Are you coming Josh?" Walter asked as he began to follow Audrey and Megan out of the room.

"No thanks, I think I'll stay here." Josh said quietly, Walter nodded, he knew how close Drake and Josh were.

"Okay." Walter said before nodding and also leaving the room. Josh let out a deep sigh before sinking into the chair his mom had just left. He bounced his knee for a minute deciding what to say.

"I know you're not asleep Drake." Josh said flatly, Drake groaned turning over.

"Yes I am." Drake muttered into his pillow. Josh smiled slightly.

"If you're asleep how come you responded to me?" Josh said; Drake peeked over at him opening one eye before turning back over.

"Shut up." He said quietly closing his eyes again. It was then that Josh noticed the cuts on his brother's arm, his eyes widened in horror.

"Drake! You cut yourself?" Josh blurted gently picking up Drake's arm, Drake's eyes snapped open and he jerked out of Josh's grasp.

"It's nothing." Drake said quickly, putting his arm under the covers out of sight.

"Drake, don't lie to me anymore. For the past like month or two you've changed, you're tired all the time, you've lost weight, your jumpier then I have ever seen you and then you end up in the hospital with a concussion and broken ribs and cuts all over your arms. Drake…tell me what the hell's going on." Josh pleaded, trying not to get emotional.

Drake let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his face with his hand that wasn't tethered to the IV. He wasn't sure how far his lies would get him, but one thing was for sure…he was running out of ideas.

_**Okay, so again, I apologize for any medical inaccuracies, I'm no doctor, and just went off of what I've read and seen on TV.**_

_**Also, I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little repetitive; I tried to make it longer because I know previous chapters had been kind of short.**_

_**Thanks again to anyone who has reviewed, you guys are awesome! I'll try to update again soon.**_

_**Thanks,**_

_**Fantasyforever 1989**_


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh; all rights go to the creators of the show.

_**A/N: Just a quick note, I think it's clear, but just in case, anything in italics is somebody's thoughts. Also, please forgive any spelling or grammar errors, the majority of this chapter was written at 2:00 in the morning…what can I say I get inspired to write at odd hours lol…enjoy.**_

Drake just stared at Josh, his mind reeling. He wanted to tell him so badly. He wanted to tell him why he always looked so tired every day and why he never slept much at night anymore, he wanted to tell him why he was always so jumpy, and yes…he even wanted to tell him why he cut himself, but he couldn't. As much as Drake wanted to open up to his brother, years of keeping quiet weren't that easy to break. He had taught himself how to keep quiet and not raise suspicion so well that he wasn't even sure how to open up and be honest about everything that Rick Parker had done to him. Josh could see the hesitation in his brother's face and closed his eyes for a second taking a deep breath before opening them and staring at Drake again who hadn't moved an eyelash.

"Drake, please…please talk to me. I thought we told each other everything." Josh said, emotion flooding his voice.

"Josh…I." Drake said no louder than a whisper but it was like someone had put duct tape on his mouth, he couldn't explain. He tried to ignore the hurt look in Josh's eyes.

"Don't you trust me?" Josh asked looking up at Drake, who bit down hard on his tongue, _you breathe a word of this to anyone and you'll wish you've never been born boy!_ His father's voice echoed in his head, Drake brought his hands up and covered his ears, shaking his head as if trying to shut out the invisible voice. Josh stood up from the chair, shocked by Drake's reaction.

"Are you okay, does your head hurt?" Josh asked, cautiously putting a hand on Drake's arm before gently pulling his hands away from his ears. Drake let out a quivering breath and shook his head.

"No, I'm fine." Drake said a second later. Josh sighed.

"You're not fine Drake, I know you're not. Why can't you tell me what's going on, maybe I could help." Josh pleaded again, he wasn't giving up.

"I…I can't." Drake stuttered, trying to stay calm.

"You can tell me anything, you know that." Josh said his tone more gentle again. Drake couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"Not this." Drake muttered more to himself. Josh sat back down and leaned back in the chair, he wasn't sure what else to say to get Drake to open up. Silence took over the pair again.

Drake had turned away from Josh and was curled up on his side. He wanted to go home and get out of this damn place. Here, too many people asked questions and drew the wrong conclusions about things. Everyone wanted answers from him, and he didn't know how to reply.

It was too much, all the stress and exhaustion from the past couple months crashed down on Drake before he knew it. He bit down on his lip as his eyes began to sting, but it was no use, silent tears fell down his cheeks before he could stop them. He tucked his chin into his chest and pulled the thin sheets tighter around him in hope of stifling the sobs, but Josh was no idiot. He got up and walked to the other side of the bed and looked at Drake's tear stained face for half a second before pulling him into his chest before he could protest.

"It's okay, you're okay." Josh said soothingly. Drake fought against Josh's arms for a second before it hit him that his touch wasn't forceful or rough and filled with rage. Josh's arms were warm and comforting; gentle. Josh rubbed his back trying to comfort his shaking brother the only way he knew how.

"It's okay." Josh repeated, and that was it…Drake finally broke. He let out a sound between a choked sob and a whimper and let go of all self control as he sobbed loudly into Josh's chest.

"I…I don't…know what to do." Drake stammered between sobs.

"We'll figure it out." Josh said softly, Drake was gripping his brother's shirt so tightly that his hands were balled up in tight fists.

Josh closed his eyes and had to swallow a lump in his throat to keep his own tears from falling. The closest Josh had ever seen Drake come to crying until now was when he had announced sopping wet in front of their entire chemistry class that he needed Josh in his life way more then he needed him, but that was nothing compared to how Drake was now. Then, Drake still had control, now as he clung desperately to him sobbing, Josh knew that Drake couldn't control what he was doing; he was simply too tired to fight it. Instead, Josh just sat there with Drake, comforting him the best he could as his body shook and he cried into his brother's shoulder like he hadn't cried since he was eight years old.

Josh hadn't been keeping track of time but he looked down as Drake seemed to be shaking less and his sobs became reduced to a few sniffles. Without saying a word, Drake wiggled out of Josh's embrace and settled back down against his pillow, embarrassed. He couldn't remember the last time he had broken down like that, especially in front of another person. Yet, he couldn't deny that somehow a small part of his chest felt slightly lighter.

"Thanks…" Drake said quietly a second later not sure what else to say at the moment.

"What are brother's for?" Josh said wryly, offering Drake a small smile, Drake sighed and rolled on his back staring at the ceiling; _you've really hit bottom now_ he thought miserably.

"What's your mom like?" Drake asked suddenly taking Josh completely off guard.

"Huh? Why do you ask?" Josh asked taken aback by the randomness of the question.

"It's just a question." Drake muttered.

"Well…"Josh began, thinking for a minute. "She's nice, she left my dad when I was really young but I still remember things she used to do, like how she would let me stay up late during the summer and we would watch movies and eat ice cream until I fell asleep." Josh smiled at the memories of his mother. He still heard from her occasionally in random letters that she sent every now and then, but it had been years since he had last seen her in person. Drake nodded.

"Must have been nice." Drake said unable to keep the edge of bitter sarcasm out of his voice as he remembered how his summer nights as a kid consisted of him sitting on edge until Rick went to sleep. He would sit by the window during the day in the kitchen and watch enviously as other kids ran around in the sprinklers playing while he was forced to stay inside the house sweating. He'll never forget the one time he had asked his dad if he could play outside. Rick had claimed that if he wanted to go outside he could exercise. He had then made Drake put on a long sleeve shirt and sweats and made him run laps in their backyard until Drake had puked and nearly passed out from heat exhaustion.

"Yeah, it was." Josh replied, still trying to figure out Drake's point and what he was trying to tell him.

"What's your dad like?" Josh asked, if Drake was asking about his mom maybe he had been thinking about his dad. All he really knew about Drake's dad was that he had had an affair and soon after Audrey found out she left with Drake and Megan. Drake stared at Josh then tried to compose himself quickly a minute later before shrugging.

"I don't know, I don't remember him much." Drake lied.

"You don't remember anything about him? Weren't you like twelve when your mom left him?" Josh asked curious, something flickered across Drake's eyes at the mention of his dad; it was a combination of fear and anger.

"Yeah, so what? He's a shitty ass father who doesn't give a crap about his family and doesn't care about anyone but himself." Drake said his voice rising in anger. His eyes widened as he realized what he had just said without thinking. _Idiot_ Drake thought, mentally scolding himself.

"Even though he was a dumb ass for cheating on your mom, it doesn't mean that he never cared about you." Josh said cautiously, he didn't think he had ever seen or heard Drake be so hateful towards someone.

"Ha! Right." Drake said coldly, rolling his eyes.

"Look Drake, I may not understand but I…"

"No Josh, you're right, you can't understand. You can never understand what that asshole did to me!" Drake gasped and brought his hand up covering his mouth as if he had just cussed in church in front of the priest. Josh blinked; staring at his brother's shocked expression. He paused, not sure what to say next.

"What…what did he do?" Josh asked a little uncertain a minute later, Drake didn't take his hand away from his mouth and shook his head back and forth. Josh gingerly reached up and pulled Drake's arm away from his mouth, he looked at the array of cuts on his brother's arm and then something clicked.

"Is that why you cut yourself? Because of your dad?" Josh asked before he could stop himself. Drake opened his mouth but no sound came out, Josh thought for a minute and he gasped as an idea came to his mind, he only hoped he was wrong.

"He didn't hit you or anything…did he?" Josh asked, staring right at Drake's face, who froze and visibly paled as he looked like he was going to be sick.

"Stop…just stop Josh, it doesn't concern you." Drake said, daring himself to speak again.

"That doesn't answer my question. Did your dad used to hit you?" Josh asked again, then Drake knew it…just like he knew it all along, he couldn't lie to Josh.

"It doesn't matter, it's in the past." Drake replied, his heart was pounding in his chest so loudly he was sure Josh could hear it.

It was Josh's turn to stare in utter shock, how could he have never known after all these years. Drake was always so happy-go-lucky…that is until recently, he let out a long breath as he processed the startling news he had just learned…Drake had been abused. He closed his eyes for a second to think, that still didn't explain Drake's recent behavior, unless…_No…no way! _Josh said to himself as he thought of how jumpy Drake had been and how he was always looking over his shoulder, along with his depression…it all fit.

"He's back, isn't he? He's the one that did this to you isn't he? Josh said angrily, he knew he sucked at fighting but he wanted to find this guy and knock his ass into the ground.

"You can't! You can't tell anyone…you don't understand Josh, he'll kill me…mom doesn't know…she never knew anything…you can't tell anyone!" Drake begged frantically, fresh tears welling in his eyes and spilling over.

"Hey, hey it's okay." Josh said in the softest voice he could muster through his anger at Drake's dad and sat on the bed grabbing Drake's hand.

"You can't tell." Drake said again through tears.

"Drake…I…"

"Drake! What's wrong? What happened?" Audrey nearly shouted as she rushed to Drake's side.

"Oh God!" Drake exclaimed at the return of his parents, suddenly he felt his chest tighten and his breathing became irregular and staggered.

"Get the doctor!" Audrey shouted as Drake began hyperventilating, Walter rushed outside to find Drake's doctor, seconds later two nurses ran into the room.

"Drake…listen to me, you need to slow down you're breathing, just relax, everything's okay." One of the nurses said, trying to get him to calm down.

"NO!" Drake shouted. He glanced around the room frantic as Dr. Richardson appeared by his side.

"Drake, we need you to relax, you're safe here, just relax, take slow, deep breaths, listen to my voice." Dr. Richardson said glancing up at the heart monitor.

"I can't…breathe!" Drake choked out between breathy gasps as panic set in. Every time his chest tightened, regardless if he was at school or at home, he always took care of it before it got out of control, but here there was nothing he could do to calm himself down, not with everyone around him and watching him.

"Yes, you can, come on Drake, listen to me, just focus on taking slow, deep breaths." Dr. Richardson repeated, he gently unhooked the oxygen tube from his nose and placed an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose to give him more oxygen at once, since he didn't appear to be calming down on his own.

"That's right Drake, slow, deep breaths." Dr. Richardson encouraged until Drake's breathing finally started to resume a normal rhythm.

"I thought you said he was going to be okay?" Megan stated, as she watched her brother greedily breathe in the extra oxygen.

"He will be, he's having a panic attack, he just needs a little help calming down." Dr. Richardson said quickly before turning his attention back to Drake.

"Drake? Do you think you can breathe without the mask now?" Dr. Richardson asked a minute later, Drake closed his eyes and sucked in a few more gulps before nodding. Dr. Richardson placed the mask on the bedside table and then secured the oxygen tube back under his nose, lowering the oxygen level back down to where it had been before. Drake coughed and tried to sit up by turning on his side but Dr. Richardson gently forced him back down.

"Catch your breath first." He instructed. Josh stood to the side glued to the spot as he watched the scene play out in front of him. He had set the attack off by making Drake so agitated…he knew it, he shouldn't have pushed Drake so hard to talk. As if on cue, Drake looked over at him, his eyes pleading; Josh slowly nodded.

"Drake, what happened, do you know what set this off?" Audrey asked taking his hand in hers again, Drake gently pulled away.

"Nothing…I'm fine." Drake said quickly, he again looked at Josh, Walter noticed this and studied Josh who seemed to have paled.

"Josh, what happened?" Walter asked taking a step towards his son. Josh glanced over at Drake; he coughed awkwardly before clearing his throat and looking up at his dad.

"I was just asking Drake about…the guys that beat him up, I didn't mean to make him so upset." Josh said, at least the last part was true.

"Of course you didn't, it was an accident." Walter said gently putting a hand on his shoulder, Josh nodded feebly. Drake let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding until Josh flat out lied; a lie he was grateful that Josh somehow pulled off without suspicion, he smiled inwardly; Josh had become a better liar over the years.

"Alright Drake, try not to overstress yourself right now, your body needs all the rest it can get to help you recover faster, and you don't need to make that headache any worse okay?" Dr. Richardson said authoritatively. Drake nodded.

"Yeah, sure." He muttered in response, Dr. Richardson nodded.

"Page me if you need me, or get a nurse, they'll know how to find me." Dr. Richardson said to Audrey and Walter who both nodded.

"I'll be right back…I just…I need some fresh air." Josh stuttered quickly, he was at the door when Drake called out to him.

"Where are you going?" Drake asked trying to sound innocent, Josh turned back toward the bed.

"Like I said, for some fresh air…I'm not going to uh…talk to anybody okay?" Josh muttered, his eyes locked with Drake's, who nodded slowly getting the message, it was simple but clear; Josh wasn't running off to tell someone.

Dr. Richardson was walking toward the pharmacy to pick up medication for a patient when he noticed Josh Nichols rush out the front doors out of the corner of his eye. He knew Josh was the last one to talk to Drake before he had the panic attack and it was obvious he was covering for Drake; Drake had told him something. He quickened his pace and headed towards the front door. It only took a minute to find the young teenager. He was sitting on a planter in front of the hospital leaning against the back of the brick frame. His eyes were shut and he was banging a fist against his head as if he was trying to figure out the answer to a hard math problem.

"Josh?" He said sitting down in front of the teen. Josh jumped, startled by the voice and opened his eyes.

"Dr. Richardson? Is something wrong? Did something happen?" Josh asked jumping to his feet, he had barely left Drake's room, surely something that bad couldn't have happened' Dr. Richardson stood up shaking his hands.

"No, no, everything's fine, I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you." Dr. Richardson apologized, Josh nodded.

"Oh." Was all he could think of to say in response; his mind was on more pressing matters.

"Do you mind if I ask you something though?" Dr. Richardson began sitting back down; Josh followed his lead and nodded his head slowly.

"Sure, what is it?" Josh asked. Fear crept in his chest as he stared at the doctor in front of him…had he overheard part of the conversation between Drake and him?

"Before Drake had the panic attack just now, what were you two talking about? Talking about being jumped could cause anxiety, but I don't think being jumped while walking home is grounds for a full blown panic attack, do you?" Dr. Richardson explained offering Josh a small grin, who just gawked at the doctor. The logical part of his brain was screaming at him, telling him to tell the doctor right then and there. Doctors had to report abuse cases, and then Drake could get help. It wasn't right for Drake to have to be in pain and suffer; he hated seeing him like that. Yet, at the same time, he didn't want to break his promise to Drake. He cursed himself for making such a stupid promise…this wasn't some trivial secret; this was a secret Drake had kept to himself for sixteen years. Someone needed to know…someone that could actually help him, but he felt somehow that Drake should be the one to tell, not him.

"No, I guess not." Josh said shaking his head.

"So, what did cause it then?" Dr. Richardson asked again, Josh absentmindedly picked at the small grass poking up in the planter around the few flowers buried into the soil.

"I…I promised him I wouldn't say anything." Josh said lamely, mentally kicking himself again.

"Josh, if you know that someone is hurting Drake, don't you think it's worth breaking a promise by telling someone if it means keeping him safe and out of danger?" Dr. Richardson said, Josh sighed and looked up at the doctor, there was genuine concern in his eyes, he knew that he wanted to help Drake.

"You should really talk to Drake about it." Josh said resuming picking at the grass.

"Do you think Drake would tell me if I asked him?" Dr. Richardson asked his tone neutral, Josh shrugged.

"I don't know that's up to Drake." Josh replied nonchalantly. He gritted his teeth, hating himself, why couldn't he let himself break a promise…just this once.

"Josh, I want to help Drake, I want the people that hurt him to be reported, that way if they are hurting other people, other kids along with Drake will be safe again, but I can't do that unless I have information to report." Dr. Richardson continued, trying to convince Josh to open up much like he had done earlier with Drake. Josh closed his eyes again and let out a heavy sigh.

"Look, I don't know if I can tell you…right now at least, but I'll try to convince Drake to tell you what he told me. I wish…I wish I could tell you, I really want to, but…" Josh broke off, not sure how to finish the sentence, Dr. Richardson understood, he could see that keeping his promise to Drake was killing him.

"Okay, how about we talk about this later?" Dr. Richardson said, _time_, he thought, he needs time, just like Drake.

Josh nodded and got up and without another word walked back inside the hospital.

"Are you feeling better Josh?" Walter asked as Josh reappeared in the doorway, Josh nodded numbly.

_No, not even close_..."Yeah, I'm fine." Josh said quickly putting on a fake smile. He wondered vaguely if this is how Drake felt every day putting on the act that everything was okay when it really wasn't.

Drake let out a sigh as he scanned the room, his mom and Walter were seated on either side of the bed and Megan had snagged a chair from the nurse's station and was curled up in the corner dozing. He hadn't realized how long he had been at the hospital until he got a glimpse of the sky that was slowly turning a deep golden orange as the sun slowly began to set, bathing the small hospital room in a light orange glow.

"You guys don't need to stay here the whole time; I'll be okay by myself." Drake said sitting up in the bed. He loved his family, but right now he kind of wanted some time alone…too much excitement for one day. Not to mention the sideways glances Josh kept throwing him made him shift on the bed awkwardly. Josh wanted to tell, Drake knew it.

"We want to be here." Audrey said brushing some stray hairs out of his eyes.

"Megan's falling asleep over there and it's going to get dark soon, really, I'm okay by myself." Drake tried again, hoping he wasn't offending his parents.

"Do you want us to leave?" Walter asked looking up at him. Drake sighed.

"I just meant that you guys don't need to stay here." Drake said again. Walter nodded then looked up at Audrey.

"Well…I guess we should take Megan home." He said slowly, he felt bad about leaving Drake here all by himself, and by the mixed expression on Audrey's face he knew she wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving yet either.

"Um…I can stay a little longer to keep him company, take Megan home, I'll be there in a little bit." Josh spoke up.

"I don't need a babysitter." Drake spat, his voice colder then he meant it to be.

"I said company, not babysitter." Josh said flatly, Drake bit his lip to suppress a groan and leaned back into the pillow; Audrey slowly stood up and went to the corner to wake up Megan.

"What's going on?" She asked groggily.

"Nothing sweetheart, we're just getting ready to go home." Audrey said, Megan looked over at Drake.

"When are you going to be discharged?" She asked. Drake shrugged.

"I'm not sure, the doctor said a day or two, so maybe tomorrow, I hope." Drake replied, Megan walked over to him.

"Get better fast boob, it won't be any fun messing with you if you can't fight back." Megan said smiling, Drake laughed. Underneath all the pranks and "evilness," he knew that Megan was a good sister.

"I'll keep that in mind." Drake said with a smirk.

"We'll see you tomorrow honey." Audrey said pulling Drake close to her.

"Mom, you're crushing me." Drake complained, Audrey smiled but released him.

"See you tomorrow son." Walter said also giving him a quick hug, Drake nodded.

"See you." Drake said as he watched his parents and Megan walk out the door, he breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced over at Josh who was watching him, not saying a word.

"Just spit it out, whatever you want to ask me or say just say it." Drake said slightly annoyed.

"What do you want me to say Drake? You know I want to tell someone here." Josh said, looking down at the sheets. Drake ran a hand through his hair annoyed.

"I know you do." Drake muttered.

"Look, as much as I want to go find Dr. Richardson right now and tell him everything I won't okay. But… that doesn't mean someone shouldn't." Josh said finally look up at Drake again.

"What?" Drake answered confused.

"You need to tell Dr. Richardson, or if you don't want to talk to him, maybe a counselor or a social worker…somebody, but I'm not going to sit here and watch while someone beats you." Josh spoke with so much conviction that Drake gaped at him for a second stunned by his blatancy.

"Josh, he'll…if he ever found out I told you…" Drake shook his head, not wanting to even imagine what his father would do if he knew that he had told another person about their "father-son time." Josh's face softened, as he saw the fear in Drake's features.

"Drake, your father's never going to lay a hand on you again…not if I have anything to say about it. Plus, they'll arrest him; he'll be in jail he won't be able to get near you." Josh encouraged, Drake rolled his eyes.

"Yeah? And what about after he gets out of jail? What do you think the first thing he will do? He will find me and kill me." Drake's voice shook as he spoke as he flinched at the thought. Josh was silent for a minute.

"Drake, if you don't tell someone before you get discharged…I will." Josh said sternly.

"You said you wouldn't…" Drake exclaimed, paling.

"Yeah, and I won't as long as you're still in the hospital, but if you haven't said anything before mom signs your discharge papers, I will. This isn't something I can just ignore, you know that." Josh stated as he watched Drake closely who looked like he was going to be sick.

"You don't have to tell them alone, I can be there…if you want me too." Josh added, Drake wasn't alone anymore in this; he wanted to make sure that he got that across.

"What about mom and dad?" Drake asked quietly.

"I'm sure Dr. Richardson would talk to them if you don't want to. We'll figure this out Drake, but you can't hide this anymore. Look what it's done to you already keeping this to yourself for so long." Josh said. Drake paled even more as his mind continued to race. Both boys were silence as Josh waited for Drake to answer. After several long minutes of painful silence, Drake looked up at Josh, pale and his voice shaking.

"Okay." He whispered slowly. Josh smiled at him, knowing how hard this was for Drake.

"Do you want me stay in the room?" Josh asked, Drake nodded, it was clear to him in that moment more than ever…he needed Josh way more than Josh needed him. Josh offered him another smile.

"Okay." Josh said.

Things would get better, they had to. Josh thought as he watched Drake shiver on the bed, he was terrified. Again, Josh felt the urge to hunt down Drake's dad and pummel him into the ground.

"Everything's going to be okay, it will work out." Josh said gently rubbing Drake's shoulder to help calm him down.

Drake just nodded, he didn't believe that things could be okay, not now. He had hit rock bottom, he was lying in a hospital with busted ribs and a concussion, his brother knew that his dad was his worst nightmare, and now he was about to break everything he had trained himself to do since he was a kid and tell a licensed doctor how exactly he had gotten a concussion and then probably be locked up in a pysch ward for being a danger to himself for being a cutter. He wasn't as stupid as he came off as; he knew what people thought if you cut yourself…people thought you were crazy.

Drake closed his eyes, _how had things come to this?_ A silent tear escaped down his cheek, he hastily swiped at his face and sucked in a quivering breath, he wasn't going to cry, not anymore. He was done.

_**Okay, I don't really like how this chapter turned out, I kept adding and changing and editing things out of it but it stilled seemed kind of repetitive, I hope it turned out okay. I tried to keep Drake and Josh in character, but I apologize if any of them seemed out of character at times. I also tried to write another long chapter since a lot of my reviews asked for me to keep the chapters long. : )  
**_

_**Also, I know some of you may think I'm crazy for not having Josh tell someone and that logically that's what Josh would do, and originally that was my plan but I decided to change that, but don't worry, people will find out soon enough, Rick's not getting away easily.**_

_**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, and I will try and update as soon as I can.**_

_**Thanks,**_

_**Fantasyforever1989**_


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh; all the rights go to the creators of the show.

Drake sat on the bed biting his nails as he tried to distract himself. He paused a second before pulling his hand away from his mouth in disgust. He never bit his nails before; it was a major turn-off whenever he saw a girl chewing off her fingertips, and definitely not a habit he had ever picked up. Yet, considering the circumstances, he was downright terrified.

Judging by the clock in the small room, it had been just over two hours ago that Drake had agreed to tell Dr. Richardson about his father. Part of him wanted to scream and run from the hospital without looking behind him away from the doctors and social workers, while the other part couldn't help but picture his father behind bars…powerless. Josh was watching him like a hawk while trying to comfort and keep him calm the best he could. A light knock on the door made Drake jump as a nurse walked in to take his vitals.

"How are you feeling Drake?" She asked smiling as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his upper arm, Drake merely shrugged as she went about her business checking various monitors.

"Um…is Dr. Richardson busy right now?" Josh asked glancing over at Drake who clenched his jaw and curled up on his side as the nurse finished working on him. The nurse tilted her head to one side thinking.

"I think one of his patients had to be rushed to emergency surgery, but I can page someone else...is something hurting you? Do you need more pain medication?" She asked looking over at Drake again, Drake shook his head.

"No." Drake replied solemnly without looking up, luckily Josh jumped in to save him.

"He just needs to talk to him." Josh said, the nurse nodded in understanding.

"Of course, I'll have him paged when he gets out of surgery." She replied; Josh nodded.

"Thanks." He said, the nurse smiled at him then turned and walked out of the room.

"I don't want to do this." Drake said so quietly that Josh barely heard him.

"I know you don't, but they'll lock him up and he'll never be able to get near you again." Josh stated his voice tender and comforting. Drake sighed and ran a hand through his tousled hair.

"It's getting late; mom and dad will wonder why you're not home yet." Drake said, shifting on the bed; he couldn't seem to stop fidgeting or sit still. Josh rolled his eyes.

"Stop making excuses Drake, you can't run from this anymore." Josh said his tone suddenly firm and serious.

"Forget it." Drake said dryly. Josh just couldn't understand. He didn't think of the aftermath his confessions would cause. In Josh's mind, if he reported his father, they would arrest him and he would be thrown in jail and never be able to see or get near Drake again. Drake however, thought about the situation differently, he knew the chaotic aftermath that would follow. There would be questioning from social workers and possibly the police, they would want to know everything that Rick Parker did to him, and going over in detail every time he had been beaten or made to clean the floor until his hands were red and numb was not something he was even sure he could do. Then, there would be a court trial where in front of his family and his father he would be forced to relay the gritty details again. The thought of sitting on the stand and testifying in front of his father made his stomach twist in nervous knots. With a heavy sigh he sat up and propped his elbows on his knees before digging his hands into his forehead. Josh didn't know what else to say, instead, he gently rubbed calming circles on his brother's back. He would stay here all night if he had to if Drake needed him.

XXXXXX

It was oddly quiet at the Parker-Nichols residence. Audrey and Walter were sitting on the couch while Megan was upstairs doing her homework. The TV was on in the living room, but neither Walter nor Audrey was paying much attention to the evening news.

"Shouldn't Josh have been home by now?" Audrey asked glancing down at her watch; they had left the hospital over two hours ago, and it had been one of the hardest things she had done.

It felt strange to walk out of the building leaving Drake there by himself, though knowing that Josh was there with him helped some…at least he wasn't completely alone. It still felt odd leaving then hospital without him. _He shouldn't be there._ Audrey thought sadly. He should be upstairs playing his guitar or playing one of those video games that drove him insane. The last place he should be was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to IV's and monitors.

"He's probably waiting until Drake falls asleep to leave." Walter replied; Audrey nodded then turned to Walter.

"I think we should talk to the school tomorrow, even though it's a Saturday, there will still be staff there and ask around to see if anybody has been picking on Drake." Audrey said firmly, she had been going over scenario after scenario in her head of how and who could be hurting Drake; the only solution she could come up with was that someone at school was bullying Drake. It sounded illogical, but she couldn't think of anyone who had a grudge against Drake or would want to torture him on a daily basis.

"I'll talk to Josh later when he gets home too, see if he knows anything. He was acting kind of strange at the hospital; I think Drake may have told him something." Walter added, Audrey rubbed her forehead feeling the beginnings of a migraine.

"How could we not have noticed? Broken ribs aren't easy to hide, and his arms…" Audrey broke off as the disturbing image of Drake's cut and scabbed arms flashed across her mind. She tried to blink back tears unsuccessfully as a few silently made their way down her cheek. Walter immediately moved over to her and put his arm around her.

"It's not your fault, none of us noticed." Walter said sadly, he too felt that as parents they should have seen warning signs…something.

"But I'm his mother! I'm supposed to protect him!" Audrey exclaimed, Walter stroked her hair softly.

"You have, you've always protected and been there for him, but parents aren't super heroes. As much as we wish we could, we can't be with our kids every minute of the day and bad things will happen to them, all we can do is help them though the bad things the best we can." Walter said, knowing how true his words were. Audrey looked up at him and lightly kissed him.

"I love you." Walter kissed her back gently.

"I love you too." He replied giving her a small reassuring smile. Silently, he swore to himself that they would get to the bottom of this one way or another.

XXXXX

Dr. Richardson stretched as he walked out of the operating room, pulling the latex gloves off his hands at the same time. The surgery had taken longer than expected but the patient was going to be alright. He made his way to the nurse's station to grab another patient's chart and begin his rounds when he noticed a nurse walking towards him.

"What can I do for you nurse Brooks?" Dr. Richardson asked smiling wryly at the woman in front of him.

"While you were in surgery I was checking on your patients, and your patient Drake Parker asked to see you." She said, Dr. Richardson's eyes narrowed.

"Did something happen?" He asked already starting to make his way back down the hall in the opposite direction towards Drake's room, nurse Brooks shook her head.

"No, his brother said that Drake just needed to talk to you, he seemed kind of anxious." She answered walking beside him.

"Which one? Drake looked anxious or Josh?" Dr. Richardson asked. Nurse Brooks thought a minute.

"Both actually, but Drake more so." She replied quickly, Dr. Richardson nodded.

"How long ago did he ask for me?" He asked, nurse Brooks looked down at her watch.

"Um..an hour ago, maybe two I'm not sure." She replied hesitantly, she hadn't really paid too much attention to what time it had been.

"Thank you." Dr. Richardson said, giving her a small grin before knocking on Drake's door and letting himself in.

Drake looked up, almost horrified at him as he entered the room; Josh appeared calm but was fidgeting with his car keys in his hands to keep himself distracted.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner, I just got the message that you needed to see me." Dr. Richardson announced stepping into the room. Drake opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, he tried again then looked over at Josh with the most frightened expression he had ever seen.

"The thing is Dr. Richardson is that, Drake has something he needs to tell you, but it's not exactly easy for him." Josh stammered before turning away from the doctor and staring right at Drake.

"I'm right here." Josh said directly to Drake and moving so that he was now sitting on the bed beside him. Drake nodded numbly at his brother.

"I understand, take your time Drake." Dr. Richardson said sincerely, he walked across the room and sat in the chair on the opposite side of Josh.

"I…see the thing is…about how I got hurt today…I didn't exactly get jumped walking home." Drake began, his voice sounded hoarse and weak. Dr. Richardson didn't react; he just nodded again and waited for him to continue.

"Can you tell me what really happened?" Dr. Richardson asked, Drake felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He was silent for a few minutes then looked up at Dr. Richardson who didn't appear annoyed that he was stuttering and taking forever to form a sentence in his head.

"I...he...he hits me. He picks me up from school…I don't have a choice…I have to go with him…you don't know him…how he is…I have to do what he says" Drake blurted out, then shook his head back and forth, he looked down and noticed his hands were shaking. Josh grabbed his shaking hand and grasped it in his firmly.

"It's okay Drake, there's no rush." Dr. Richardson said again with all the patience in the world. When Drake didn't say anything else, Dr. Richardson questioned him slowly.

"Drake, can you tell me who hits you? Dr. Richardson asked as gently and calmly as he could.

"He's…."_You're going to pay for it now boy, I warned you, you never knew how to listen did you?_ Drake let out a sound between a squeak and a gasp as his father's voice echoed around him so loud and real to him as if he were standing right there next to Josh. Dr. Richardson acted quickly leaning in towards Drake.

"Drake, listen to me, he's not here. He can't hurt you." The doctor said speaking loud and clearly, Drake just shook his head again.

"No, no you don't understand…he's going to kill me now!" Drake gasped out loud. Josh squeezed his brother's hand trying to reassure him.

"You're stronger than him Drake." Josh said softly.

"Listen to me Drake, no one is going to kill you, I won't let him get a chance to even try, but I need to know his name, I can't stop him if I don't know who he is." Dr. Richardson spoke in a soft, clear tone, never breaking eye contact with Drake, who closed his eyes and took a long, shaky breath. He hadn't realized that his cheeks were wet until Dr. Richardson grabbed a tissue off the bedside table and handed it to Drake, who just shook his head and wordlessly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Rick." He said the name so softly it was almost a whisper. The name sounded strange to say out loud; dirty and disgusting.

"Do you know his last name?" Dr. Richardson asked Drake's mouth went dry. He couldn't suppress a groan as a chill ran through him. He tried to ignore it, and quickly shook his head; this was why he never told anyone over the years…all the questions, all the faces starting at him, and more than anything, the fear of what would happen next.

"Parker." He said a minute later, then gasped loudly and let out a dull moan.

"No!" Drake nearly screamed as the reality of what he had just said crashed down on him. He hunched over again with his knees pulled up to his chest and his elbows digging into his knees. He kept his head bowed down and gripped his hair at a total loss of what to say or do next.

"Drake, relax, it's okay, he's not going to come after you. I'm really proud of you Drake; it took a lot of courage to tell me." Dr. Richardson said grabbing Drake's shaky hands. He kept his head bowed, looking down; he refused to look up at the doctor.

"Do you think you can answer a few more questions?" Dr. Richardson asked gently, knowing how overwhelmed Drake was already. Again Drake looked up at Josh feeling completely helpless.

"I'm not going anywhere." Josh repeated.

"Is Rick Parker a relative of yours?" Dr. Richardson asked even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer, he needed Drake to confirm it to be sure. Drake made a strangled sound in the back of his throat as if debating how to answer the question, then with the slightest movement of his head he nodded.

"Yes." He said with a bitter edge to his voice. "He's…my father." Drake choked out in disgust.

Rick Parker did not encompass what it meant to be a father. He had never treated him or acted how any loving parent should. Whenever Drake pictured a father figure in his mind he always saw Walter. Although Walter Nichols was dorky and downright embarrassing to be around sometimes, he looked out for and took care of Drake; he cared about him. Three things every father was supposed to do and three things Rick Parker never did.

"How long has this been going on Drake?" Dr. Richardson questioning a bit further, Drake took another staggering breath.

"It's well…a while, it's complicated." Drake muttered he didn't want to go into the details. He leaned back into the pillow feeling weak and lightheaded; drained of all energy.

"Alright Drake, that's enough for now, I'm proud of you." Dr. Richardson repeated, he saw the obvious signs of exhaustion, Drake needed to rest.

"You did the hardest part by telling me, but I want you to understand what's going to happen now. By law, I have to report this to Child Protective Services. Once I make a call, someone from CPS will come here and talk to you and take down your statement. All you have to do is be honest with them Drake, they aren't the enemy here, despite how it may seem to you. CPS will also pay your dad a visit, after that, we'll take things one step at a time. The important thing is that you are safe." Dr. Richardson explained, Drake groaned. The words, _child protective services_ alone made him feel uneasy.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Dr. Richardson asked when all Drake did was nod at his explanation, he didn't need to hear it; he had a pretty good idea what was going to happen now. He went rigid as one thought stumbled across his exhausted brain.

"My parents…" Drake muttered, Dr. Richardson understood.

"With your permission I can tell them if you don't want to, but they have a right to know Drake." Dr. Richardson answered, Drake shook his head; he didn't think he could face telling his parents.

"You can tell them, it won't matter, damage is done." Drake said under his breath, his voice was bitter and held little emotion.

"Okay." Dr. Richardson said. "I know this may sound crazy to you right now Drake, but try not to worry. There are a lot of people that are on your side and want to help you." Dr. Richardson stated. Drake snorted, he was right, that _did_ sound crazy.

"Is there anything else you want to ask me right now?" Dr. Richardson asked for a second time noticing that Drake seemed to be hesitating on something.

Drake chewed on his lip, there was something else he wanted to ask about but was afraid to hear the answer, yet at the same time he had to know.

"Dr. Richardson, what will they do with me?" Drake asked quietly, Dr. Richardson cocked his head to one side, slightly puzzled by his question.

"What do you mean Drake?" Dr. Richardson asked, Drake sighed clearing his throat and shifting positions again on the bed.

"I mean because of this." Drake stated holding up his scarred arms. Josh looked confused, not sure what Drake was trying to say but Dr. Richardson understood what his concern was.

"Are you asking me if we're going to send you to a psychiatric facility?" Dr. Richardson asked, even though he knew he was right, he could tell by the way Drake tensed up. He flinched at the choice of words, there was no nice way to say it: _psychiatric facility, loony bin, psych ward_, to him it all meant the same thing…they thought he was crazy.

"I'm not crazy." Drake said flatly, his voice a bit stronger than it had been a minute ago.

"No one said you were Drake, and to answer your question, I can't really say, because I don't know. It's standard procedure for CPS to do a psychiatric evaluation, and based on their results that's when we make the decision of whether the patient should be put on a psychiatric hold or not." Dr. Richardson replied Drake clenched his jaw, Dr. Richardson's explanation had been cold-cut and clinical; it made him nervous.

"Don't stress over that right now, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Dr. Richardson said grinning down at Drake who nodded unconvinced.

"Can I be alone now? I told you what you wanted to know." Drake said his voice bitter again. He didn't mean to come across as sounding rude and mean but he was too tired and drained to care and said things solely on impulse.

"Sure, get some rest. Don't hesitate to page me if you need me." Dr. Richardson said, he stood up and squeezed Drake's shoulder, trying to offer him some form or reassurance before leaving the room. Drake let out a long heavy sigh and laid back down sinking into the bed.

"You did it." Josh said grinning at Drake who simply nodded in agreement. Part of him was still waiting for his dad to pop up at the window or walk in the room to "teach him a lesson" for opening his big fat mouth.

"I'm proud of you too, you know." Josh said looking up at Drake.

"Yeah." Drake muttered. He didn't feel proud or accomplished. He couldn't deny that a large weight had been taken off his chest but at the same time, new worries and anxieties of what he knew was going to place in the near future replaced the gap and left him feeling worn and exhausted both physically and emotionally. Suddenly, he yawned and wiggled down further into the sheets. He hadn't realized just how tired he really was, but a dull throbbing in the back of his head kept him from sinking into blissful unconsciousness. Whether the pain was the result of the concussion or from spilling his guts out to the point of exhaustion was anyone's guess. Sleep sounded like an amazing escape to him. No more questions, no more hospitals, he wouldn't have to think or worry about anyone; just escape.

"What time is it?" Drake asked breaking the silence in the room. Josh glanced down at his watch, his eyes widened, not aware of how much time had passed.

"Almost a quarter till nine." Josh answered; Drake looked up at his brother and bit his lip again. There were so many things he wanted to say to Josh but he couldn't figure out how to say everything he wanted to through his exhaustion.

"Josh?" Drake began, his voice sounded tired and weak.

"Hm? Josh said looking up at him. Drake opened his mouth, then closed it and opened it again still struggling to find the exact words that described how he felt. Finally, he looked in to Josh's face and opened his mouth again.

"Thanks."

"Anytime bro."

Josh leaned back in the chair to get into a more comfortable position. He had done all he could to help Drake for now. Now, all they could do was wait. He wasn't naïve enough to believe that the worst was over, he knew better. They had a fight ahead of them but for the first time in years, Drake wouldn't have to fight alone anymore.

_**Hey everyone,**_

_**Okay, I have to correct a huge screw up I made in previous chapters. In chapter 2, I said that I changed Drake's age to seventeen, and then I realized when I was re-reading some chapters that I made him sixteen again in chapter 6. Please forgive my major goof up, I still think it makes more sense to have Drake a year older, so he is seventeen, and I apologize if it caused any confusion.**_

_**Also, I'm sorry that this chapter isn't quite as long as the past two or three have been, but I couldn't think of what to add, I hope it still turned out okay.**_

_**As always, reviews are appreciated.**_

_**Thanks,**_

_**Fantasyforever1989**_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh; all rights go to the creators of the show.

Early morning sunlight filtered through the hospital window bathing the small room in a pale yellow light. Drake groaned as the sunlight hit his face. He rolled over onto the opposite side so his back would be facing the window instead. He kept his eyes firmly shut; maybe if he stayed asleep long enough last night would become nothing more than a bad dream. It was futile and childish, but Drake couldn't help his wild thoughts as the events of the previous night played across his mind.

After Dr. Richardson had left, Josh had stayed with him for what felt like hours. His sense of time was very much distorted, so whether it had been a few hours or forty-five minutes, Drake wasn't sure. All he knew, was Josh hadn't left his side. He had stayed there talking to him, trying to make him laugh...just sitting there by his bedside keeping him company. He hadn't said much in return to his brother, mostly simple nods of agreement or one-word phrases such as "uh, huh" or "yep", but Josh didn't seem to mind. He didn't remember Josh leaving the hospital, he didn't even remember falling asleep thinking he would definitely be up most of the night but by some form of miracle he had shockingly fallen asleep and when he woke up the chair that Josh had occupied so diligently was now empty.

Drake shivered as Rick Parker's face flashed in his head. Dr. Richardson had told him that he was safe here and there was no way that his father could reach him; Drake remained unconvinced despite his doctor's words of comfort. He kept looking around half expecting his dad to appear and teach him a lesson for opening his big fat mouth, leaving him constantly feeling unnerved and on edge.

_I wish time travel was possible_. Drake randomly found himself thinking before laughing…wow he must have hit his head harder then everyone thought. Yet, the more he thought about it, the idea of time travel sounded amazing. There were a million points in time he wished he could go back to and change things. Allowing his mind to wander, Drake started making a mental list of all the times he wished he could go back to. If he could, he would go back to last night and not say a word to Josh or Dr. Richardson or better yet he would go back a few months ago to the night at the Premiere where his dad first reappeared back in his life and not come within 10 feet of the theatre. Then he wouldn't be in this mess, and then things would still be normal, like they used to be.

_I must be loopy off the pain meds_ Drake thought shaking his head and all his random thoughts away with it. Josh would get a kick out of this; he didn't think Drake thought deeply about anything. Despite how crappy he felt, Drake couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Suddenly, Drake jumped startled as someone knocked lightly on the door. A nurse walked in pushing a large metal cart stacked with trays.

"Oh, good you're awake, breakfast time." She chirped happily as she picked up one of the trays and placed it on the table beside his bed before rolling the table over so that he could sit up in bed and eat. Drake groaned; it couldn't be healthy to be so perky and annoying this early in the morning. He rolled his eyes as he glanced up at the clock on the wall to see that it was just barely 8:00 in the morning. Drake moaned and pulled the covers back over him, the nurse laughed.

"Come on now, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you need to get all the energy you can get so you can get out of here faster right?" She said sweetly. Drake let out a heavy sigh which turned into a yawn in defeat and sat up ruffling his unruly bed hair.

"That's better, eat up now, you don't want your food getting cold." The nurse said satisfied, Drake looked down at the food and grimaced. He really didn't have an appetite and even if he did, hospital food left a lot to be desired. The eggs looked like rubber and the toast looked dry and unappetizing. Once the nurse was out of sight, he pushed the food aside and curled back up under the sheets. He didn't think he'd actually go back to sleep, but the next thing he become aware of was soft voices talking around him.

"Did something happen, did he get worse over night?" A woman's voice asked and Drake felt a small stab of panic as he recognized it as his mother's voice.

"No, it's not that type of matter. Drake's fine physically, but I need to talk to both of you in private." Dr. Richardson's voice answered. Drake clenched his jaw, he knew it was coming…it was only a matter of time before his parents were told the sickening truth.

"What's going on? What happened?" Audrey's voice demanded rising in volume. She wanted answers now if he had them.

"Mrs. Nichols, if you and your husband would follow me to my office I will explain." Dr. Richardson replied, Audrey looked over at Walter he gently took her hand in his and followed the doctor out of Drake's room together. Once they were in the privacy of Dr. Richardson's office, Audrey and Walter both silently took a seat opposite of his desk and waited for an explanation.

"I know that you are both very worried about Drake, but while his injuries are healing as expected, there are more pressing concerns that need to be dealt with. I'm afraid there is strong evidence that has been confirmed by Drake that he is being abused…" Dr. Richardson began. Audrey's eyes narrowed, they were accusing them of child abuse…_again!_ Before he could continue, she stood up furious.

"We've been over this before! Neither Walter or I would ever dream of hurting Drake, we…" Dr. Richardson held up his hand cutting her off.

"I know that Mrs. Nichols, please let me finish explaining." Dr. Richardson said, Audrey looked over at Walter whose fist was clenched against the chair. He nodded at his wife and she slowly sank back down into the chair.

"As I was saying, Drake is being abused; we know it is not at home but by his biological father, Rick Parker." Dr. Richardson finished. Of all the things Audrey had expected him to say, hearing her ex-husband's name along with the accusation made with it made her speechless.

"What?" She gasped in shock. Walter's eyes widened in horror, he didn't know a lot about Rick Parker but Audrey had never described him as violent.

"Drake hasn't seen his father in five years. I left him when Drake was twelve a few years later I married Walter, and in that time Rick has not once try to contact Drake." Audrey said her voice not nearly as strong as it had been before. Dr. Richardson sighed.

"Was Rick ever violent towards Drake growing up? Did he ever threaten him?" Dr. Richardson asked; Audrey shook her head.

"No, Rick…he was unfaithful and a liar but he never harmed Drake or Megan in any way…not that I know of at least." Audrey trailed off, her brain trying to process the information. Dr. Richardson nodded.

"Did Drake hurt himself a lot as a kid or people thought he was clumsy?" Dr. Richardson asked trying to find some signs of abuse as a child. Drake hadn't mentioned anything about previous abuse growing up and hadn't told him how long the abuse had been going on which gave him the impression that Drake had been dealing with his father's wrath silently since he was a child.

"I…I don't know, not more than any other kid I suppose." Audrey answered her voice cracking as tears brimmed in her eyes.

"So…um…what happens now?" Walter asked clearing his throat as he wrapped an arm around Audrey.

"To begin with, since Drake is still a minor, by law I have to report this to Child Protective Services who will then have to talk with and evaluate Drake's statements. You also have a right to know that by law Drake will have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation." Dr. Richardson explained.

"Psychiatric evaluation?" Walter asked, not liking the sound of that.

"It's standard policy, to ensure his safety." Dr. Richardson explained.

"What…what can we do to help him?" Audrey asked her voice weak and strained.

"Be patient, and don't push him to talk. He'll speak up when he's ready. The important thing now is that he's safe. I've already called CPS and police will make sure that there is no way Rick can get near Drake." Dr. Richardson answered patiently.

"And what about a court date? All these types of cases end up in court right?" Walter asked with a sigh. The mental image of Drake sitting on a witness stand was not one he would ever hope to see in reality. Dr. Richardson nodded again.

"Yes, there is a good chance that will happen, it won't be easy or a pleasant experience for you or Drake but it is necessary to ensure that Rick stays away from Drake for good. But, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Drake. We're going to take things one step at a time. Right now I'm most concerned with Drake's well being and safety. Later, we can sort through all the legalities, CPS will also want to talk to you and they will have more answers about court dates and such." Dr. Richardson said.

"Can we see Drake now?" Audrey said a minute later.

"Of course, but like I said don't bring up his father or the abuse unless he does. He'll talk about it when he's ready and we'll only push him away if we push him to open up. Give him space and be patient." Dr. Richardson cautioned. He had seen parents pressure their kids to tell them what was happening and it always made situations worse.

"We understand." Walter replied before standing up, Audrey and Dr. Richardson followed his lead. Outside of Drake's door, Audrey paused and looked up at her husband. Walter swallowed a lump in his throat as her saw pain and helplessness swim across her eyes.

"You can go in." Dr. Richardson said gently knocking lightly on the door and walking into the room, Audrey and Walter followed suit.

Drake was still curled up on his side but he was far from asleep. He held his breath as he heard his parents re-enter the room and wondered how much Dr. Richardson had told him. Did they think he was some crazy kid off the streets now? Were they mad that he hadn't said anything until now?

"Drake? Are you awake honey?" Audrey asked softly pushing back his hair.

Drake sighed, knowing that he could no longer feign sleep.

"Yes." He mumbled into the sheets not ready to look up at his mom's face.

"How are you feeling Drake?" Walter asked on the other side of Audrey. Drake groaned and slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Okay I guess." Drake answered Walter once he was settled. Walter tried to smile at him but Drake could see it was fake. He was putting on a cheery act for him; Drake mentally rolled his eyes at him. This was yet another reason he had kept his mouth shut over the years, he didn't want people walking on eggshells around him and treating him like some bomb waiting to explode. Still avoiding looking directly at his parents, Drake looked up at Dr. Richardson not sure what to say or do.

"When can I go home?" Drake asked his doctor. Dr. Richardson picked up his chart and glanced over it before answering.

"I'd say there is a good chance later this afternoon or tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. You're healing as fast as can be expected, none of your injuries have gotten infected and you're just going to need to rest to heal that concussion which you can do at home." Dr. Richardson answered; Drake nodded and scratched the side of his head absentmindedly. Another thought was nagging him and he cautiously looked over at his parents before turning back to Dr. Richardson.

"And umm….what about the…people I need to talk to?" Drake asked tripping over his words, luckily Dr. Richardson caught on to what he was asking; he wanted to know when the psych evaluation would be done. Audrey and Walter picked up on this well and shot each other worried glances.

"Later today, I've already called them." Dr. Richardson said before clearing his throat.

"I need to go see my other patients but if you need me don't be afraid to page me." Dr. Richardson said with a grin then walked out the door. An uncomfortable silence filled the small room after the doctor left. Drake wasn't going to start up conversation and Audrey and Walter sat unsure of how to break the tension.

"Well….it's great that you're coming home soon." Walter finally said Drake nodded.

"Yeah." Drake said.

"I'm so glad you're alright. You had us worried." Audrey said gently grabbing Drake's hand. He flinched and pulled away not expecting the touch then cursed inwardly, reminding himself that it was just his mother's hand.

"Sorry." Drake mumbled quietly seeing the hurt expression on his mom's face.

"Oh Drake, you don't have to apologize for anything." Audrey said softly. Suddenly the air inside the room felt hot and sticky and crowded and he had the overwhelming urge to escape.

"Mom, dad, would it be okay if I was alone for a bit?" He asked concentrating on keeping his voice calm. Part of him felt a stab of guilt sending his parents away but he wasn't ready to deal with them; to face their questions that he knew were going to come, not yet.

"Drake…we…" Audrey began.

"Just for a little bit…please." Drake asked hoping his voice didn't sound as desperate to them as it did in his head. Walter gently patted Drake's knee and smiled at him.

"Sure son, we'll be in the cafeteria downstairs if you need us alright?" Walter said Drake let out a sigh of relief thankful that he understood.

"But…" Audrey protested not wanting to leave Drake alone.

"He's fine Audrey, everyone needs time to themselves." Walter said offering her a hand and helping her out of the chair. Drake looked up and Walter extremely grateful, and was able to offer him a small grin. Walter understood he realized, where as his mom was still in denial.

"If you want us, just let a nurse know and I'm sure they can come down and get us okay?" Audrey said leaning down and kissing Drake on the forehead.

"Yeah." Drake replied as Walter led Audrey out of the room. Drake exhaled loudly closing his eyes. He didn't know why it was so difficult being around his parents, but they made him feel crowded and overwhelmed when all he wanted to do was be left in peace.

Suddenly, he found himself wishing that Josh was there. He didn't feel crowded when Josh was in the room last night, even if he wasn't saying anything, Josh was the one that had kept him sane last night and he knew it. He took several deep breaths trying to calm himself down, opening his eyes he saw that his hands were again shaking violently. Cursing he closed his eyes and dug his nails into his arms. He sighed when the relief that the pain cutting gave him didn't come.

Trying not to panic, he again tried to calm himself down before he started hyperventilating again unsuccessfully. He felt the twinge of pain as he chest tightened and frantically looked around the room for a sharp object then glanced at the door to make sure no nurses were coming in. He leaned over searching his bedside drawer for something, _anything_ that he could use. Opening the second drawer he found a suture kit for stitches. He glanced at the door again before grabbing it and quickly tore it open, picking up the scissors in the kit. He turned on his side facing away from the door and brought the sharp edge of the scissors to his arm, dragging the blade across his left arm. He sighed as his chest began to loosen dragging the scissors once again across his arm.

"Drake?" He jumped, startled by the voice and jerked; the scissors nicked his arm before clanging loudly on the tile floor.

"Drake are you okay?" the voice said again and hurried to the bed. Drake closed his eyes as he recognized the voice as Josh's.

"I'm fine." He said slightly breathless, wishing that his voice wasn't as shaky and uneven as it sounded. He hastily tucked his bleeding arm under the sheets hoping that Josh wouldn't see.

"What's wrong?" Josh asked cautiously reaching out to turn Drake towards him. Drake shook his head.

"I'm fine Josh." He said again, though he could hear his heart pounding frantically in his ears. Josh remained unconvinced. He walked around to the other side of the bed and frowned seeing a pair of medical scissors on the floor; slowly he bent down and picked them up. His eyes widened when on closer inspection he realized that the edge of the scissors had blood on it. He looked over at Drake and saw the wild fear back in his eyes.

"Oh, Drake please tell me you didn't…I mean…you didn't cut yourself just now did you?" Josh asked, not daring to break eye contact with Drake.

"I…" Drake stuttered. Why couldn't he ever lie to Josh?

Josh closed his eyes momentarily, Drake's answer speaking for itself.

"Why Drake? You said you wouldn't do that anymore." Josh asked sighing and sinking down into the chair.

"Sorry." Drake muttered half-heartedly.

"Let me see." Josh said after a minute holding out his hand.

"No." Drake said defensively. It was bad enough Josh had caught him in the act, he wasn't about to let him inspect the damage he had done.

"Drake, please." Josh began but was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door making them both jump. A nurse walked in and glanced up at the heart monitor.

"Are you okay Mr. Parker? I saw the heart monitor spike." She said studying Drake.

Drake looked at Josh then back at the nurse.

"I'm fine." He repeated. She studied him for another minute.

"Okay…" She said slowly and was about to leave when she noticed the contents of a suture kit sprawled out on his bed.

"What is this doing here?" She asked pointing to the tools.

"Dr. Richardson left them." Drake said lamely, saying the first thing that popped into his head. The nursed eyed him critically, he knew she didn't believe him and he knew that she had read his medical chart, meaning she knew he cut himself.

"Let me see your arm Mr. Parker." She said gently holding out her hand, much like Josh had a second ago.

"I'm fine!" Drake exclaimed, his voice rising.

"Calm down Drake, I just want to see your arm please." The nurse said, gently pulling back the sheets to reveal his bloodied arm. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. Instead, she gently snapped on a pair of gloves and cleaned the cuts that he had made.

"You're lucky these aren't too deep, some antiseptic and a band-aid and you're good to go." The nurse said grinning at Drake who refused to even look up at her.

"You're not going to have to report this are you?" Drake asked still staring at his sheets. With CPS and this psych evaluation, the last thing he wanted was them knowing he had cut in the hospital.

"I'm sorry Drake, but I have to tell your doctor about this. This isn't something we take lightly here. Anything sharp or harmful is going to be removed from your room, and if you try to hurt yourself again we'll have to restrain you, do you understand?" The nurse spoke softly but with authority.

"Restrained?" Drake gasped out swallowing a lump in his throat.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Try and relax Drake, you're safe here." She said, and with a last grin swiftly walked out the door.

Josh remained silent, watching Drake. He had tried to keep calm but seeing Drake's arm had shook him up more than he cared to admit. It was different seeing the scars as evidence and catching Drake in the act. He tried to understand, he really did, but he just couldn't bring himself to see why anyone would cause themselves physical pain on purpose. _Then again, I've never been abused._ Josh thought somberly, turning his attention back to Drake who was now staring at the window, his mind obviously somewhere else.

"Drake?" Josh asked.

"Josh…I…I don't think I can do it. I don't want to go through with this." Drake said flatly, his voice held no emotion as he spoke.

"I know you don't, but we'll get through this together, I promise." Josh said sitting down again by his bedside.

"I can't escape him." Drake said so softly Josh almost didn't hear him. Josh clenched his fists in an attempt to control his anger; he had never hated someone so much in his life as he hated Rick Parker.

"Don't worry Drake, we'll figure it out." Josh said trying to sound reassuring.

_Somehow, he'll get through this…he has to. _

_**Hey Everyone,**_

_**Sorry, I know the ending of this chapter was kinda bad but I felt like I kept rambling and that this chapter wasn't really going anywhere. But, next few chapters should be more interesting with the psych evaluation and such I hope. **_

_**I'm SOOOO sorry it's been FOREVER since I've updated. Thank you so much to anyone who has still stuck with this story and reviewed, you guys are awesome! I will try to update again soon. **_

_**As always reviews make my day**_

_**Thanks again,**_

_**-Fantasyforever1989**_


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh; all rights go to the creators of the show.

Dr. Richardson sighed feeling the beginnings of a headache come on, he had been running on nothing but two cappuccinos all day so far, and was taking advantage of having a spare minute to sit down and relax. His reprieve however was short lived as a nurse walked into the room calling his name.

"Yes?" He asked draining the contents of his coffee quickly before standing up.

"I need to talk to you about your patient…Parker I think his name is." The nurse said glancing down at the chart in her hand.

"Yes, what happened?" Dr. Richardson asked pulling his white lab coat and stethoscope back on.

"His heart monitor spiked so I went to go check on him and caught him cutting himself. The cuts weren't deep, but I told him you had to know. I also called psych for a consult." The nurse said. Dr. Richardson nodded.

"They've already been called; I'll go talk to him." Dr. Richardson answered before walking out of the room and made his way to Drake's room. He knocked lightly on the door before letting him in and found Drake curled up on his side facing the window. Josh was sitting next to him on the opposite side of the bed, not saying a word, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Hey Drake, how are you feeling?" Dr. Richardson asked. Drake sighed, knowing that Dr. Richardson was bound to show up sooner or later.

"I'm fine." He said flatly.

"I see…so you weren't cutting yourself a little while ago?" Dr. Richardson asked, pulling up a chair on the opposite side of Josh and facing Drake. Drake refused to look up at him.

"No." He replied shifting on the bed. Dr. Richardson sighed knowing he wasn't going to get much out of Drake.

"Alright Drake, well you should know that psych will be down here soon and also that because you cut here, your room is going to be stripped for your own protection." Dr. Richardson said calmly. Drake just nodded. Just as soon as the words came out of his mouth, there was another light knock and a thin woman with long brown hair entered the room.

"I was called for a psych consult?" She asked smiling, Dr. Richardson nodded. Drake looked up at the woman and visibly paled. He shot a worried glance over at Josh who tried to smile back at him to offer some reassurance.

"I'll uh…see you in a bit." Josh stammered, following Dr. Richardson out of the room.

Drake sat up in bed and ran a hand through his hair. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to a damn therapist.

"Hi Drake, my name's Dr. Kerrington." She said taking the seat that Dr. Richardson had left. She waited a few minutes for Drake to respond, then nodded and continued when he didn't.

"Strong-silent type huh?" She asked with a slight smirk, leaning back in the chair.

"No." Drake said. At this Dr. Kerrington laughed.

"Look Drake, its okay if you don't want to talk to me, but I might be able to help." She offered watching him closely.

"Thanks, but I don't need your help." Drake said his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Fair enough, but how about we try and make the best of this since you're stuck here anyways?" She said leaning back in the chair. Drake sighed.

"I don't want to be here alright. I just want to go home." Drake answered dryly.

"I want you to go home too, but I can't allow that unless I know you'll be safe there." Dr. Kerrington replied.

"I am safe at home." Drake muttered. Dr. Kerrington was quiet for a minute thinking and watching Drake.

"Drake, it won't get better on its own. All those inner demons you're trying to hide from, they won't go away unless you face them." She said staring Drake in the eye.

"Yeah? What would you know about it? Try growing up with a fath…." Drake suddenly stopped himself, shaking his head, _No!_ He wouldn't allow some shrink to mess with his head like this.

"Go on, growing up with what? Dr. Kerrington encouraged.

"Nothing! Okay nothing! What else is there to say? You already know what he did to me; it's in that damn chart!" Drake yelled pointing at his medical chart sitting on the bedside table. He wanted to stop there, but he couldn't, his emotions had taken over him again… right now, it was anger that dominated his feelings. He knew he was shouting but he couldn't make himself stop.

"Your next question is going to be how does it make me feel right? Well _you_ tell me how it feels to have your head slammed up against a wall and get back to me! Let's see, next is why I cut right? Am I on the right track? You try sleeping at night thinking every little sound is someone out to get you and tell me how easy it is to relax!" He was breathing hard by now and his voice had risen in volume the more he shouted. Dr. Kerrington hadn't said a word, letting Drake vent.

"This is good Drake. Venting is one of the healthiest forms of relieving stress." Dr. Kerrington replied. Drake was silent, embarrassed by his outbreak of emotion.

"So now what? Are you going to lock me up in some loony bin?" Drake asked leaning back into his pillow.

"I'm not trying to be the enemy Drake. Believe it or not, I'm here to try and help you okay? And as far as where you're going after this, CPS has the final say in that okay? For now just try and relax." She answered truthfully. Drake glared at her.

"Funny how that's all you people can seem to tell me, just relax or calm down, take it easy. Well obviously that's not doing me any good now is it?" Drake replied, his voice cold and sarcastic. Dr. Kerrington however continued to look unperturbed by his attitude.

"There are no easy answers Drake. Believe me, I wish there was, but I can't wave a magic wand and make everything alright, all I can do is try to guide you in the right direction. Does that make sense?" Dr. Kerrington said sitting up straight. Drake simply nodded not knowing what else to say.

"Drake, I'm going to ask you a few questions and I want you to answer me as honestly as you can alright?" The doctor continued; Drake stared at her unsure of what she was looking for.

"Fine." He muttered back, knowing he had no way of escaping her. Dr. Kerrington nodded.

"Can you tell me why you cut yourself earlier today?" She asked. Drake looked down at his sheets, unable to make eye contact with her.

"I just needed to." He answered flatly after a minute. Dr. Kerrington nodded.

"You felt trapped and scared and didn't know how to release the stress so you cut, is that accurate to say how you felt?" Dr. Kerrington asked slowly. Drake looked up at her confused.

"I…well…I guess yeah." Drake mumbled still staring at his sheets.

"I don't want you to feel ashamed, the fact that you can recognize why you cut and that it's a problem is a good start." Dr. Kerrington observed. Drake rolled his eyes and held up his hand at her.

"You can stop there; I know where you are going with this. I don't need to hear your motivational words of wisdom okay. I may not be smart but I'm not stupid, I know how the system works. I'm not looking for sympathy or words of inspiration to change or whatever." Drake snapped. Dr. Kerrington nodded.

"Alright Drake." Dr. Kerrington said dismissing his words pausing to watch him for a minute before continuing.

"As I'm sure you already know, Dr. Richardson has contacted Child Protective Service, and it's only fair to let you that they will interview you later today as well. I can't force you to tell them anything you don't want to but I encourage you to be honest with them." She said. Drake rolled his eyes again.

"Right." He replied, the bitter edge creeping back into his voice. Dr. Kerrington shook her head then stood up grabbing Drake's chart in her hand and headed for the door.

"Don't rush things Drake. Everything will fall into place one way or another alright?" She said as parting words of wisdom, offering Drake another small grin. He just shrugged in response and with that, Dr. Kerrington walked out the door.

Drake slumped back in his pillow covering his eyes rubbing his forehead; a migraine forming that he knew had nothing to do with his concussion. He had blown it. He had wanted to be calm and collected and lie out of his ass to show all the doctors and psychiatrists here that he was fine. Instead, he had let her get into his head and he lost his temper, he said too much. He let out a long, heavy sigh before lying back down and pulled the blankets back over himself, feeling if possible more miserable than he had before. A few minutes later he heard the sound of footsteps and someone sinking into the chair next to the bed. He knew it was Josh without turning to look.

"How'd it go?" Josh asked a second later when Drake didn't start up conversation. Drake snorted.

"How do you think? I don't need a damn therapist." Drake grumbled, letting off some of his frustration on Josh who just nodded even though Drake's back was to him.

"They're just doing their job." Josh offered trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah, so they tell me." Drake said flatly rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. Josh couldn't read his expression exactly, but he knew that Drake was deep in thought about something. He wasn't sure how long they were sitting there. Josh would randomly strike up conversation every now and then, but it was mostly a one-sided conversation with "uh huhs" and "yeah" responses from Drake. His parents had also come back into the room briefly. Both of them seemed nervous around him unsure of what to say and not wanting to upset him or say the wrong thing. He knew he lashed out at them and was being rude whenever Audrey or Walter would say something to him but he couldn't help it. He couldn't stand the way his parents were walking on eggshells around him. The only time Josh saw real emotion flash across Drake's face was when representatives from CPS showed up. Drake looked up at him terrified of being alone in the same room with these two strangers, Josh tried to over him a wry grin but Drake remained unconvinced. Seconds later the two CPS representatives sat down and began their interrogation. It was everything Drake expected worse. They were kind, but kept drilling him on every detail of his father's abuse. How long had the abuse been going on? When did it start? Where did he hit him? Did any of the welts ever become affected? Etc. The list of questions went on and on making Drake's head spin. By the time he left, he was agitated, frustrated, and depressed. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. The room again felt too small and hot and he felt the familiar tightness in his chest as his breath hitched and caught in his throat.

"Mr. Parker? Are you alright?" One of the CPS officials asked noticing the change in Drake's demeanor.

"I…I can't…" Drake stammered as he closed his eyes and tried to focus on controlling his breathing. He tried to picture himself anywhere but here, somewhere far away from doctors, and hospitals and social workers.

"Drake, try and take some deep breaths, you're alright. Just relax." The second CPS official said gently.

_Easier said than done!_ Drake thought bitterly. The urge to cut himself was overpowering and he found himself unconsciously digging his nails into his arm without noticing it until someone gently pulled his hand away from his arm.

"Drake, can you open your eyes and look at me? Take some deep breaths and calm down." The CPS official spoke soft and clearly. Slowly, Drake opened his eyes and stared at her. She could see the fear in his eyes but more than that she saw the overwhelming sadness.

"I know you're scared kiddo, it's alright. We'll be out of your hair soon okay?" It was her casual tone that make Drake look up at her again, distracting him completely. It was then that he noticed that while she was probably in her mid 30's, the woman in front of him was rather attractive. She had short, curly blonde hair that hung just past her chin curling around her ears, and sky blue eyes that sparkled when the light hit them. She smiled as he made eye contact.

"That's better. Do you feel alright?" She asked. Drake shrugged and coughed as he slowly regained control over his breathing.

"I think that will be enough for now Tracy." Her partner said, a short man with dark hair and chocolate eyes. She nodded.

"We'll be in contact soon Drake. For now, just take things one day at a time, alright?" Tracy said smiling at him.

"Sure." Drake muttered back and with that Tracy and her partner whose name he couldn't remember when they first introduced themselves left. With the room once again empty, Drake felt he could breathe properly for the first time in hours. As promised, the entire room had been stripped of anything sharp leaving a dull pencil on the bedside table as the most dangerous tool for him. He let out a long heavy sigh and closed his eyes trying to block out everything around him. _The wheels have been set in motion_, he thought bitterly. With the abuse reported and documented he knew the next step would be CPS and police talking to Rick. The very thought made him cold and shiver all over. Rick would lie through his teeth and make him sound like the hurt, ungrateful son and him as the loving, hurt father. Rick was a good actor and he knew it, it was probably where his ability to lie so well came from. He could only hope that the law took his side, if not he was sure Rick would kill him, no ifs ands or buts about it. The number one rule was to keep his mouth shut and Drake had blabbed big time. Completely lost and overwhelmed with these thought he stared at the sky outside the window hoping that somehow a solution would come to him. All that he got back in response was the sound of wind. He was never a religious person, but he found himself silently praying, pleading for answer to an unsolvable problem.

_If there is a God up there, please help me through this hell._

_**Hey Everyone,**_

_**I know, I know! I'm a horrible person and have neglected my stories and have not updated in forever! **__** I'm truly very sorry and am so grateful to anyone out there who has still stuck with this story, you guys are amazing! I feel like this chapter kind of dragged out the story but I will try and up the drama in coming chapters, and I promise there WILL be coming chapters. I promise I will try to update more frequently. As always, reviews, suggestions, and creative criticism are always appreciated, let me know what you think.**_

_**Reviews make my day, they are what inspire and motivate to keep writing and finish this story. **_

_**Thank you guys! I love you!**_

_**-Fantasyforever1989**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Hey everyone, so I admit it, I am a horrible person for neglecting this story. But, please know that I do intend on finishing it and I will TRY to update more regularly. **_

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh; all rights go to the creators of the show

"You think its okay to send him home?" Dr. Richardson asked Dr. Kerrington in his office.

After almost a half hour of discussion between Doctors Richardson, Kerrington, and the two representatives for Child Protective Services, it had been decided that Drake would not be admitted to the psych ward but would be put in an out-patient program that met 3 days a week for 4 hours. The program included group and individual therapy as well as activities, guest speakers, and individual and group evaluations. Dr. Richardson knew Drake would fight the system but he was also worried that while he wanted Drake to have a sense of normalcy in his life and return home, he didn't want him to feel overwhelmed or pressured at home.

Dr. Kerrington nodded.

"Yes, he's trained himself to fight the system. Keeping him in a locked down psych ward would only cause him to fight the system even more. An outpatient program allows him to have more freedom. He won't like it still of course, but it will give him a longer treatment process than an in-patient stay would." She finished.

Dr. Richardson tapped his pen against Drake's chart on his desk.

"Alright." He said then looked up at the CPS officials knowing that they could override their decision if they wanted to. Tracy absently brushed a stray hair from her face before she answered and looked over at her partner who nodded.

"Yes, as long as he is being monitored an out-patient program should be fine. My only concern is that he may try cutting himself again. If he managed to cut himself in a hospital, he's very resourceful." Tracy replied.

"He'll be monitored and watched closely. If he hurts himself again either at home or at the hospital we'll find out. I'll talk to his family too, they'll be watching him closely I'm sure." Dr. Richardson explained; Tracy nodded in approval.

"Good, he needs a support system." Tracy said.

"As far as the legal aspects go, someone has already been sent out to Rick Parker's apartment. We'll take down his statement and compare it. If there is enough evidence, the case will go to court and he'll be charged." Tracy's partner explained. Dr. Kerrington looked up in alarm.

"You don't think there will be enough evidence to charge him?" She exclaimed, she had seen too many kids defeated and broken due to the lack of evidence and watched their abusers walk away.

"I don't know. We have to wait and hear Rick's statement. Hopefully it won't be an issue and we can get this case to court, but it all depends on his statement and evidence." He answered calmly.

"Evidence? The boy landed in the hospital after being beaten. His back is plenty of evidence." Dr. Kerrington protested. The guy from CPS held his hands up in surrender.

"Calm down, no one is making any accusations. You know as well as I do that this is a process. We have to go through the proper steps. I agree with you, Drake's physical condition is plenty of evidence, but again, we can't make any accusations or arrests until we hear his father's statement." He explained. Dr. Kerrington sighed knowing it was true. Dr. Richardson cleared his throat then.

"Well, if that's settled, I'm going to go talk to him." Dr. Richardson said, closing Drake's chart and standing up. Tracy and her partner nodded also standing up. They shook hands, and then followed Dr. Richardson out the door.

XXXXXXXX

"Four hours every day?" Drake asked glaring at Dr. Richardson who shook his head.

"No, three days a week, but if you'd prefer to be admitted upstairs to the psychiatric ward, I could arrange to reserve a bed." Dr. Richardson answered as he looked up at the monitors and scribbled down results on Drake's chart.

Drake continued to glare at the doctor in front of him. Granted, it was a better trade off then being locked up in a loony bin but he still wasn't keen on the idea of spending so much time at the hospital. Dr. Richardson finished scribbling in his chart and looked up at Drake seriously.

"This is court ordered Drake, you don't have a choice. I know you don't like it, but you can't fight this. Give it a chance all right? You never know, you may actually find it helpful." Dr. Richardson urged. Drake crossed his arms and stared out the window in response.

"When do I have to start?" He asked quietly a minute later.

"The day after tomorrow. I'm going to discharge you today. There's no need for you to stay here any longer. You still have a concussion, but that just needs rest to heal. Take it easy for another week or two and you'll be good as new." Dr. Richardson answered. Drake sighed.

"Have you talked to my parents yet about this?" Drake asked, Dr. Richardson shook his head.

"Not yet, as soon as they get here though I will, then you can go home. You have a day until you have to start the outpatient program, use that time to relax. You can go to school tomorrow if you want, but I wouldn't advise it. If you do go to school, take it easy, don't push yourself okay?" Dr. Richardson advised, Drake nodded.

"Sure." He muttered back in response. He hadn't really thought about school. Luckily, he hadn't missed any days since he had collapsed on Friday; meaning tomorrow was Monday. There would be no rumors yet as to why one of the most popular kids in school didn't show up for two days. Horror-stricken, another thought occurred to him.

"Will I have to leave school to go this program thing?" Drake asked. Dr. Richardson nodded.

"The program starts at 2:00. We don't want to be forcing kids to leave school that early, but we have time constrictions due to other programs going on in the hospital. The program goes from 2:00-6:00, so you may have to leave school a little early. But, you shouldn't worry about that. Teachers in the past have always been very accommodating about getting students their work to them." Dr. Richardson said.

Drake groaned. It wasn't the schoolwork that bothered him; it was the fact that he was going to have to think of some excuse as to why he was leaving school early three days a week.

"Your parents should be here soon. I'm going to get your discharge papers ready, all right. I'll be back later Drake, let me know if you have any more questions." Dr. Richardson said standing up. Drake nodded.

Once he was alone again he let out a long breath and closed his eyes, pressing his palms against them as if that would help his wild thoughts and pounding head calm down. Slowly, he opened his eyes back up but couldn't seem to relax any better. Again he found himself unconsciously digging his nails into his wrist. The pain wasn't as strong or intense as cutting was, but it helped him enough to relax a little.

"I don't want to do this…" Drake muttered out loud to no one. All he wanted to do was go home, get into his bed and try to blend into his sheets and become invisible, but with Josh and his parents the chances of that actually happening were slim to none. Defeated and exhausted, Drake slouched back down into the pillow and pulled the covers back over him. He couldn't run from his problems, but maybe for now he could escape them just for a little while. With that last thought, he slowly forced himself to try and fall asleep. He was last aware of a distant knock on the door before giving in to his subconscious.

An hour later after informing Drake of their decision to put him in outpatient therapy, Dr. Richardson had Drake's discharge papers signed and had informed Audrey and Walter Nichols of their decision as well. However, when the three of them re-entered Drake's room they found him fast asleep. Audrey looked up at Dr. Richardson, the question of, "do we wake him?" lingering in the air.

"He's had a hard time getting enough sleep as is, let him rest. As soon as he wakes up, have me paged and then you can take him home." Dr. Richardson answered before taking his leave and walking out the room.

"He looks so helpless like this." Audrey said sadly. Walter grabbed her right hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I know." He replied softly. "It will be better once we get him home." He added trying to be optimistic. Audrey smiled at him, thankful for his support. She didn't think that she could handle watching Drake go through all of this alone. Just then, a dull moan came from the bed, causing both adults to turn their attention back to Drake.

"No more!..." Drake cried in his sleep. Audrey covered her mouth with her hand. She was suddenly reminded of Drake as a small child having nightmares. It suddenly occurred to her that the source of those nightmares all those years ago could be the same as the one's he was having now.

"Drake, honey, it's alright. Wake up." She said softly smoothing back his hair affectionately and brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

Drake's eyes snapped open, his breathing labored and staggered. Audrey could see the wild fear behind them that Drake tried so hard to hide every day.

"You're okay." Walter said putting a hand on Drake's shoulder. Drake shut his eyes for a minute and took several deep breaths. When he woke up, disoriented, for a second he thought he was at Rick's apartment he _had _been there, in his dream. But the sound of his mom's voice snapped him back to reality. He remembered where he was and at that thought he stifled a groan and sat up.

"How are you feeling?" Walter asked slowly. Drake shrugged wiping his sweaty palms on the sheets.

"I'm fine." Drake muttered back, he didn't want to go into details about his dreams and thankfully neither one of his parents pushed the subject.

"We have some good news, you can go home. Why don't you get up and get dressed and I'll have the nurse page Dr. Richardson. He already has your discharge papers signed." Audrey said. Drake nodded. He didn't feel like talking more than he had to. He hopped off the bed and grabbed the change of clothes his mom had brought then headed to the bathroom.

"He's not himself." Audrey said more to herself.

"I know." Walter agreed. "You heard Dr. Richardson, we just have to give him time." Audrey smiled at him.

"I hope so."

A few minutes later Drake reappeared, fully dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. If it weren't for the bandages on his arms, he looked almost like his old self. Cool, popular, girl-crazy Drake. But it was just appearances. Audrey could now see the pain and fear behind his eyes.

"You ready?" Walter asked smiling.

Drake shrugged. He absentmindedly scratched at his arm where the IV was still tethered to him; which Drake found to be a huge annoyance, especially when trying to put a shirt on. He sat back down on the bed swinging his feet. He was anxious and jumpy and just wanted to get the hell out of this place. The seconds seemed to tick by like hours. Finally, Dr. Richardson walked into his room.

"Hello Drake." Drake merely nodded at the doctor who set a pill bottle on the table in front of him.

"Take one for pain as needed, no more than six in a 24 hour period okay?" Drake nodded again.

"Thank you Dr. Richardson." Walter said extending his hand. Dr. Richardson shook his hand then turned back to Drake.

"If you need anything, or if you feel dizzy or start vomiting come back here immediately. Both are symptoms of complications that can result from a concussion." Dr. Richardson instructed.

"Yeah." Drake muttered in response, then held out his arm to Dr. Richardson who grinned before gently sliding the needle out of Drake's arm and unhooking the IV. He wiped some antiseptic on the spot where the needle had punctured the skin, then placed a small bandage on top of it.

"Take it easy kid." Dr. Richardson said extending his hand toward Drake. Drake shook the doctor's hand briefly before turning back towards his parents.

Walter nodded, picking up on Drake's eagerness to get out of the sterile building. He shouldered Drake's small sports bag and the three of them followed Dr. Richardson out of the room. They parted ways in the hallway and Drake breathed a sigh of relief as he walked outside. The air was cool and bright. A light afternoon breeze whipped his hair and brushed against his face.

The ride home was fairly silent. Drake curled up in the back seat and stared out the window, watching signs and different landmarks zoom past dizzily. He snapped out of his daze just as Walter pulled the car into their driveway and he slid out of the car and slowly walked into the house.

"Where's Josh?" Drake asked. It was a Sunday, but the house appeared empty.

"He's at work. He wanted to be at the hospital to take you home, but they were short staffed at the theatre. Megan's at a friend's house." Audrey answered.

Drake nodded. Part of him was glad that Josh wasn't home. That meant he didn't have to talk and could enjoy hopefully a few hours alone.

"I'm uh...I'm going to go upstairs." Drake mumbled, heading up the stairs, jumping them two at a time. He collapsed on the couch, too drained to do anything else. He grabbed the TV controller, and aimlessly flipped though the channels until he found something he could tolerate.

Television was a good distraction. Focusing all of your energy on a pointless program that serves absolutely no purpose at all. It helped Drake to stay calm and keep his racing thoughts in check. He couldn't let him think of the inevitable; he wasn't ready for that. But, whether he was ready or not, against his will, his father would soon know, if not already that he had spilled his dark secret.

_He's going to kill me_

If Drake was sure of anything it was this simple fact. Rick Parker was going to find him and kill him. Slowly and painfully, as a punishment for not keeping his big mouth shut. He shivered and crossed his arms over his chest protectively. He was so absorbed in trying to distract himself with mindless television that he didn't even hear his bedroom door open and close.

Josh walked into his room and saw his brother curled up on the couch. The TV was on, but by the looks of it, Drake wasn't really watching it.

"Hey Drake." Josh said slowly and winced as Drake jumped and nearly fell off the couch startled. Josh looked at him sympathetically.

"Sorry." Josh mumbled, Drake just nodded.

"How are you feeling? Glad to be home?" Josh said crossing the room and taking his red work vest off.

"Yeah." Drake replied sitting up on the couch.

Josh looked at him for a minute and the two of them fell into an awkward silence; both unsure what to say to the other.

"Uh...mom wanted me to tell you that dinner is almost ready." Josh finally said breaking the silence. Drake's eyes widened. Dinnertime? Hadn't he only gotten home just over an hour ago? He glanced down at his watch and realized that it was almost 5:00 in the afternoon. He had been sitting on the couch for hours!

"Okay." Drake said.

At dinner, it was unusually quiet at the table. Drake couldn't help but notice that everyone in his family kept giving him sideways glances of concern and worry; even Megan looked up at him. She opened her mouth as if she was about to say something to him, then shook her head and changed her mind. Finally, Drake couldn't take it anymore. He threw his fork down on his plate and pushed back his chair standing up; the clanging of metal startled everyone.

"Stop it! All of you! You don't need to walk on eggshells around me! If you think you're helping it's not!" He screamed angrily then stomped away from the table towards the stairs. Audrey followed him and stopped him at the base of the stairs.

"Drake wait. Just wait okay. We're all just worried about you, we want to help you that's all."

"Yeah? Well I don't need to be treated like some damn nut case! I'm not going to break. If you really want to help me, you'll leave me alone." Drake glared at his mom. He could see that his words had hurt her, but right then he didn't care. He knew he shouldn't be taking his anger out on his family, but at this moment, it felt so good.

"Drake..." Walter began coming up behind Audrey.

"NO! Didn't you hear me? I said leave me alone!" Drake yelled, cutting him off. Before either one of his parents could say anything else or Josh or Megan could jump in, Drake scrambled up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door behind him.

Josh flinched as the sound of his door slamming reverberated throughout the house. He looked up as his parents came back to the table. Audrey had tears in her, and Walter looked in pain, as if Drake had slammed the door on his hand. Megan hid her face, staring down into her food. She had never heard Drake yell, not like that at least.

"I'll talk to him." Josh said quietly a few minutes later, then excused himself from the table.

Drake had never felt so angry in his life. It was if something inside of him had suddenly snapped. He paced his room frantic, unable to stand still. His body shook and he resisted the urge to scream at the top of his lungs. Not paying attention to where he was stepping he almost lost his footing as his toe hit the couch. He caught himself before he fell, then stared at the couch. Before he even thought about what he was doing, he began kicking the couch over and over. He kicked the table in front of the couch, knocking it over and sending papers, books and empty soda cans all over the floor. He crossed the room to his desk and swiped at the contents on top of it; littering the floor with old guitar picks, magazines, and an empty coffee mug that smashed into pieces from the impact.

"Drake stop! What are you doing?" Josh cried as he walked in their room to find Drake destroying it. Drake looked up at his brother, his eyes wild and his breathing heavy.

"Leave me alone Josh." Drake breathed, then proceeded to kick his desk chair over.

Josh hesitated then shook his head.

"No. I'm not leaving you alone. Not when you're like this." He crossed the room, closing the gap between him and Drake.

"I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" Drake cried he turned away from Josh and went to punch the wall. Josh grabbed his wrist before he could do anymore damage. Drake whirled around nearly smacking Josh. He fought against Josh's arms and tried to break free without success. When he couldn't break away from Josh, his legs gave out on him and he sagged against Josh as he fell to his knees sobbing.

"What's wrong with me?" Drake choked out. Josh shook his head.

"Nothing. There's nothing wrong with you. You're just...grieving. It's normal." He said gently, letting Drake lean against him as his body wracked with sobs.

"You have to give mom and dad and Megan a break though. They're doing their best Drake, alright?" Josh said several minutes later, once Drake's sobs had been reduced to a few sniffles.

Drake shuddered and wiped his eyes, then closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He had _never_ felt like this before in his life and truth be told...it scared the crap out of him. He _never_ lost it...not like this. He opened his eyes and surveyed the damage he had done to his room. The middle of the room was now a jumbled mess of objects strewn haphazardly across the floor around the overturned table in front of the couch. Around his desk, the shattered piece of the broken coffee mug mixed in with a now broken picture frame, along with dozens of papers and magazines.

"I'm uh...sorry about the mess." Drake said clearing his throat and standing up. He walked over to the couch and turned the table back over on its feet.

"I'll get a broom." Josh said quietly walking out the door.

"Is he okay?" Audrey asked as Josh appeared in the kitchen. Josh shrugged.

"He will be." Josh answered then grabbed the broom and dustpan before heading back up the stairs.

Walter walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"It's only his first night home from the hospital." He said gently. Audrey smiled up at her husband and kissed him on the cheek.

"I know...it's just. I just don't want Drake to lose who he is. He doesn't seem like the kid I knew. It's like he has no confidence anymore, like he's just given up." She said quietly.

"I don't think that's true. He's adjusting, it takes time." Walter offered.

Audrey sighed. How many times has she heard that phrase in the past couple of days? Give him time. These things take time. To Audrey Nichols, saying, "give him time," meant that no one knew for sure what was going to happen to Drake.

_**Hey Everyone,**_

_**So, if anyone is still reading this story thank you SOOO much, you have no idea how much it means to me. Like I said, I know I have been absolutely horrible about updating and I am SO sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER. But, have no fear, I DO plan on finishing this story.**_

_**I hope this chapter was okay, and not too repetitive. It seemed kind of like a transition chapter to me, but hopefully it's not going too slow for you guys, if it is let me know and I'll try to pick things up.**_

_**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. You guys are amazing **_

_**Thanks,**_

_**Fantasyforever1989**_


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh. All rights go to the creators of the show.

_**A/N: So, as a thank you for all the amazing reviews I've received I'm trying to update more quickly. To all my readers and everyone who has reviewed this story thank you so much! You guys are awesome! **_

The next morning Drake slowly opened his eyes, and just for a second, hoped in vain that the weekend had been nothing more than a bad dream. He imagined that the hospital, the outpatient program, and his parents finding out about Rick Parker coming back into his life were simply figments of his crazy imagination that his subconscious had created. Drake groaned as he sat up in bed and his newly broken ribs screamed in protest at the movement. He looked over at Josh's bed only to find it empty, then glanced at the clock and was shocked to see it was already 7:00 in the morning. School started in 30 minutes, and Josh being Josh always liked to get to school early.

Disheveled and exhausted, Drake hopped down the ladder from his bed and quickly threw a short-sleeved shirt and jeans on. He was fixing his hair in the mirror when he remembered the white bandages around his arms. Holding his breath, he dug his nail under the tape securing the bandage and yanked at it until it came loose then tore the bandage off and let it fall to the ground first on his left arm, then his right. He ran his thumb over the scars feeling the roughness of the stitches on his skin. He was glad to see that only a few of the deeper cuts had been stitched closed; it would be easier to hide that way. He tore his gaze away from his arms, shaking himself. Josh walked back in the room to get his backpack and stopped short, startled to see Drake awake and dressed for school.

"You're going to school?" Josh asked slowly, watching Drake closely.

Drake shrugged. "What else am I supposed to do? Sit around here all day?" He said nonchalantly.

"But…I thought Dr. Richardson said…" Josh started before Drake cut him off.

"He never said I couldn't go to school, he just said to take it easy." Drake said firmly. Josh stared at him for another minute unsure of whether to try to talk Drake into staying home or not. Drake rolled his eyes then pulled on a sweatshirt, covering his arms and grabbed his backpack.

Josh sighed and grabbed his own backpack and followed Drake downstairs.

"You're awake!" Audrey exclaimed obviously surprised to see Drake out of bed so early.

"School normally happens around this time." Drake muttered back sarcastically. Megan looked up from the couch where she was finishing some last minute homework.

"You know you don't have to go to school." Audrey said as she began packing her things for work.

"I want to go." Drake retorted, trying to stay calm even though he was becoming more annoyed by the second. Audrey stopped what she was doing and stared at her son.

"Don't force yourself Drake. You can stay home and relax." Audrey said hopefully, but Drake shook his head determined. Audrey smiled in spite of herself; Drake had always been stubborn.

"Since when do _you _want to go to school?" Megan mumbled into her book.

Drake glared at her, knowing she was right. But what Megan did not know was that while Drake may hate school, oddly enough it was one of the few places he felt safe. When he was at school, he was surrounded by people constantly and felt a sense of security as a result. The last thing he wanted to do was sit at home alone where Rick knew exactly where he lived and could waltz right into the house. Frustrated and annoyed, Drake swore under his breath and walked to the door in three quick strides.

"I'll wait in the car." Drake muttered to Josh then slammed the door behind him. Audrey sighed, staring at the door.

"I can't seem to do anything right in his eyes these days." She said quietly. Josh looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm sure that's not true." Josh said trying to comfort her. Audrey smiled weakly at him, then cupped his cheek in her hand for a second.

"Well, I guess you should get going." Audrey said a minute later and ran her fingers through her hair distractedly. Josh nodded and made his way to the front door.

"Oh, and Josh…watch out for him today." Audrey said.

"I will." Josh promised then shut the door behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mom thinks you hate her." Josh said, looking over at Drake in the passenger seat.

Drake sighed. "I don't hate her." He said quietly, staring out the window.

"Then why is it ever time she's tried to talk to you since you got home from the hospital you are practically yelling at her?" Josh asked slowly. Drake swore and stomped the floor of the car.

"She needs to stop treating me like a kid and trust me. I can take care of myself." Drake said defensively crossing his arms over his chest. It was Josh's turn to sigh.

"Drake, you can't earn trust back over night. You have been hurting yourself for months. How the hell you managed to hide it from me and everyone all this time I'll never know, but now that mom knows, you can't blame her for being afraid that you might hurt yourself again…Hell, I am too." Josh answered, not daring to look up at Drake's reaction.

Drake's mouth went dry.

"Not you too." Drake groaned in disbelief. Josh was silent for a minute before answering.

"I don't know." He finally said just above his breath.

"You don't know if you trust me?" Drake asked; his voice held an edge of bitterness.

"Drake, I caught you hurting yourself in the hospital. I _do_ trust you, but I don't know if I can trust that you won't hurt yourself again." Josh answered, choosing his words very carefully.

Drake swallowed a lump in his throat and turned back to the window, hoping that Josh didn't see the hurt in his eyes. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Josh's words stung. But if he was truly honest with himself, could _he_ even trust himself?

He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts as Josh pulled into the high school and parked.

"Meet you here after school?" Josh asked.

"Sure." Drake nodded, sliding his backpack on one shoulder and followed Josh into the building.

Drake was surprised at how easy it was to fake that everything was all right during the day. He dozed off in class and joked with his friends. He slapped hands with one of his band members and they made plans to rehearse the following day after school. It wasn't until he got to Mrs. Hayfer's English class right before lunch that anyone noticed anything remotely different about Drake.

Linda Hayfer studied Drake closely. She didn't particularly like the boy, but he wasn't a bad kid. Lately though, the kid had been much more reclusive in class. Granted, he never participated during class. Unless he was sleeping, he was usually making snide comments and joking around in the back of the classroom with some of his friends. But lately, and especially today, Drake didn't say a word. He sat staring out the window silent, his arms crossed over his chest. He was fidgety and squirmed in his seat. For some kids, this was normal behavior, but after watching Drake for two years in class, she knew this was abnormal for him. She didn't know why, but something about his behavior bothered her.

The bell rang and she dismissed the class for lunch.

"Drake, could I have a word?" She said stopping him at her desk. Drake inwardly groaned, wondering what he had done wrong now to piss the wonderful Mrs. Hayfer off.

"Yes?" He asked, trying to keep his voice neutral and not show his annoyance.

"Drake…I couldn't help but notice that you've seemed a little more distracted in class lately." She began.

"Yeah and?" He said, sounding bored.

"Well, it is my responsibility to help my students succeed. What I'm saying Drake is that, if something is bothering you, you can always ask for help." Mrs. Hayfer finished shuffling some papers on her desk as she spoke.

Drake's mouth dropped; he couldn't help it. He must look extremely pathetic if he was now getting sympathy from his least favorite teacher in all of Bell View High. He quickly hid his shock, and plastered his usual smart-ass smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I know, I get it Mrs. Hayfer, you hate me." Drake said, his voice cool and even, and shoved his hands in his pockets. Mrs. Hayfer looked up at him half-smiling.

"Well, be that as it may Mr. Parker you are still my student. Just know that if something is bothering you, my door is open. And get some sleep, I don't want you dozing off in my class anymore." She replied.

"Right. Can I go now?" Drake asked taking a step toward the door.

She hesitated for a second, watching Drake closely.

"You're sure everything is okay Drake? She said slowly.

Drake glared at her. "I'm fine." He answered, his voice colder than he meant it to be.

She studied him for another minute, and then nodded.

"Just remember what I said." She said as a last note. Drake nodded once more then rushed out of the classroom as fast as he could.

Out in the hall, he leaned against a group of lockers and took several deep breaths. A sudden, horrifying thought occurring to him. Did his teachers know that he had been in the hospital? Had his parents notified the school? None of his other teachers had said anything to him or even looked at him differently. So, why had Mrs. Hayfer?

_Do I really look that messed up?_ Drake wondered bitterly. Sure he had been a little quieter in class, but shouldn't Mrs. Hayfer appreciate that and not call him out after class asking him if everything was all right?

Drake stomped off toward the cafeteria trying to keep himself calm to no avail. He grabbed a sandwich and a bag of chips then walked outside and sunk down at a table outside the cafeteria. A couple of people he knew called out to him and sat down around him at the table. He grimaced looking down at the food having no appetite at all. After a while of sitting at the table and trying to focus on the conversation around him, Drake thought he was going to explode. Not able to take it anymore, he made up some lame excuse and grabbed his backpack and got up, throwing his sandwich away and tossing his chips to the first person that asked.

He found himself pacing the halls, not going anywhere in particular. He didn't know why he felt so annoyed all of the sudden. It was like he suddenly had no control over his emotions. Last night, without thinking he had tore up his room, and now here he was pacing the halls of Bell View High resisting the urge to punch the nearest wall. What the hell was wrong with him?

Before he could fully think of the consequences, Drake rushed to the nearest bathroom and locked the stall door behind him. He dug around in his backpack for a minute and was relieved to find the spare shaver he kept there for…emergencies. Thankfully, his parents hadn't gone through his backpack yet.

He rolled up his sweatshirt, exposing his already scarred arms and dragged the blade across his skin. He exhaled, closing his eyes with relief. For the first time that day he felt he could breathe properly. He brought the blade across his arm again and gasped as dark red blood sprung to the surface. Without meaning to, he had cut deeper than normal.

"Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!" He cried grabbing a large wad of toilet paper and pressing hard against the deep cut. Keeping the toilet paper pressed against his arm with his elbow, he propped his backpack on his knee and frantically searched for a band-aid only to come up empty handed. He jumped again as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Damn it!" Drake muttered. He leaned against the back of the toilet, mentally kicking himself. How the hell was he going to hide this? If he were at home, he would slap a band-aid over the cut and throw a clean sweatshirt on. But here, he didn't have that option. If he didn't somehow cover the wound though, he was sure the cut was deep enough to leave a little blood on his sweatshirt and he did NOT want to explain that to people. He couldn't go to the nurse's office either because he knew that she would want to see the cut for herself.

Gingerly, he lifted the toilet paper up and assessed the damage. Dried blood mixed with fresh blood, making it hard for him to determine the severity of the injury. He had to clean his arm a little to find out, but that involved water.

Slowly, Drake opened the stall door and peeked out; the bathroom was empty. Quickly, he rushed to the nearest sink, grabbed a fistful of paper towels and wetted them under the faucet. He squeezed the excess water out so the towel wasn't dripping and darted back into the stall where he gently brushed the wet towel against the cut, wiping away the dry blood.

The cut he had created was still oozing blood at a steady pace, but the blood wasn't as deep a red as it had been when he made the initial injury. Knowing that the bleeding wouldn't stop for at least another several minutes, Drake threw away the stained toilet paper he had been using and ripped a new strip of paper. Instead of applying pressure with it, he wrapped it somewhat haphazardly around his arm and attempted to tie the paper. It wasn't very thick and he doubted it would hold, but he hoped it would keep the blood from staining his sweatshirt until the bleeding stopped.

He stood up, grabbed his backpack and rushed off to class knowing that he was already late.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time the school day was over, Drake trudged down the hall toward the parking lot when his stomach suddenly turned to ice. Normally, at this time he would find Rick's truck idling along the street waiting for him. He shivered, suddenly afraid to go to the parking lot. Josh promised to meet him at the car after school, but Drake knew that by now CPS had probably contacted Rick, which meant Rick would be looking for him.

Drake stumbled, took a few steps backwards then turned on his heel and ran back down the hall, not daring to go outside. When he stopped running, he looked around at the classrooms to figure out where he was and laughed when he noticed Mrs. Hayfer sitting at her desk a couple classrooms up from where he stood. It was crazy, but he really didn't want to be alone and out in the open. He tapped his foot against the floor for another minute debating before sighing and walked to Mrs. Hayfer's classroom, knocking lightly on the door.

She looked up from the papers she was grading and stared at Drake.

"Well, Mr. Parker this is a surprise. What can I do for you?" She asked indicating for him to come in.

Drake scratched the back of his head, suddenly embarrassed.

"I um…well, Josh is running a little late, and the halls are getting kind of empty and I saw that you were still here…I just…I was wondering if I could wait here for him?" Drake stumbled, tripping over her words.

She looked up at him curious. Drake Parker was afraid to be alone? She narrowed her eyes studying him closely. He definitely appeared anxious at the moment. She nodded, then straightened her arm and pointed to the rows of desks.

Wordlessly, Drake crossed the room and sat down in the first rows of seats, dropping his backpack on the floor.

"Drake, I will tell you that I will not sit here and watch you play video games or do some other mindless activity. You are welcome to wait here, but you must do something productive. Perhaps, start your homework for once, or at least read a book…you do own books right?" She said smirking. Drake rolled his eyes.

"Yes." He replied leaning back in his chair. He was beginning to think maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. Yet, Mrs. Hayfer wasn't being quite as hateful towards him as she normally was. She hadn't even said that she hated him yet.

She loaned him a copy of the literature they were reading in class, since Drake didn't have his book with him. The two of them fell into an awkward silence, the only time Drake had really only spent time with Mrs. Hayfer after school during detention, so it felt odd to be sitting here in a teacher's classroom willingly and not be in trouble. However, Drake could not see any visible signs on Mrs. Hayfer to indicate she found it odd to have her least favorite student asking to wait for his ride in her classroom.

After around 15 minutes, the desk Drake was sitting at vibrated as his phone went off. He picked the phone off his desk and saw he had a text message from Josh asking where he was.

"Uh…thanks Mrs. Hayfer, my ride is here." He said quickly.

"Take care Drake." Mrs. Hayfer offered before Drake walked out of the classroom. Going to his contacts in his phone, he quickly dialed Josh's number.

"Hey, bro where are you?" Josh asked again.

"I'm by Mrs. Hayfer's class, are you at the car?" Drake asked hesitantly, not wanting to cross the parking lot alone, even though he knew how childish and stupid that sounded.

"Yeah, I'm on my way. I'm leaving the science lab right now, I'll meet you at the front door." Josh answered. Drake breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sure." Drake muttered, then ended the call. He reached the front doors and leaned against the wall, picking at his nails while waiting for Josh. A few minutes later, he heard footsteps coming his way and looked up to see Josh walking toward him.

"Ready?" He asked as he reached Drake. Drake nodded and followed his brother to the car.

Drake glanced nervously at the street, almost expecting to see Rick's truck idling waiting for him.

"Can I drive?" Drake asked, wanting to get home as fast as possible and not wanting to put up with Josh's cautious, always-follow-the-speed-limit" driving. Josh shrugged and handed over the keys to Drake, who hastily jumped into the driver's seat and started the car.

They were about halfway home when Drake glanced in his rear view mirror and saw a white truck barely two cars behind them. His breath caught in his throat and his stomach somersaulted as a wave of nausea suddenly hit him.

"Drake?" Josh asked as Drake visibly paled and tensed.

Drake watched the white truck in the rear view mirror switch to the lane to their left. The truck picked up in speed and soon was beside their car. Drake kept his eyes forward for a minute, then shaking slightly, slowly turned his head and his eyes widened. The driver of the white truck was not his dad. A teenager with dyed black hair sat in the driver's seat, one hand on the wheel the other resting on the windowsill holding a lit cigarette. Drake tried to take a deep breath; he stared down at his hands and noticed that they were shaking.

"Drake?" Josh asked again, his voice more urgent.

"I…I thought I…that he…never mind, I'm fine Josh." He gasped out, bringing his full attention back to the road in front of him and turned onto their street.

_Don't lose it Parker. A white truck doesn't automatically mean its Rick. Don't lose it. Keep it together._ Drake took another shaky breath then turned off the ignition as he pulled into their driveway.

_**Hey everyone,**_

_**So, for once I actually updated pretty quickly. As I said, this is a thank you to all of you who have read this story and review. Also, again I hope this story isn't going too slowly, if it is let me know and I'll try and pick up the pace. As the trial comes closer and Drake starts the outpatient program, the pace will pick up too. **_

_**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. **_

_**-Fantasyforever1989 **_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh. All rights go the creators of the show.

Drake glared at his guitar in frustration. Not long after he and Josh had gotten home from school, Drake's band members had showed up at the house and they spent the next two hours rehearsing songs. Afterwards, all the members had agreed that while they had a good set of solid songs, they needed new material. The problem was, Drake was normally the songwriter.

He had been trying to write a new song for almost an hour with no success. His mind kept wondering and he couldn't seem to focus on what he was doing. Anything he started to write sounded cheesy and boring and he ended up tossing it. Frustrated, he threw down the notebook he was using and went downstairs to get something to eat. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard his mother's voice and froze.

"You heard the doctor, its court ordered he has to go." Audrey said softly.

"I know, but I don't think Drake is ready. He's not talking at all about…what happened…it's not healthy. Dr. Richardson also said to give him time. I just don't think it's a good idea forcing him to go to this out patient program." Walter sighed and sunk into the chair in the living room.

"So what do you suggest we do? Tell Drake to move on and forget about it? He needs help Walter!" Audrey cried, her voice rising.

"I didn't mean it like that. I know he needs help." Walter replied defensively.

"Then why are you fighting this? If you really want to help Drake you should support him and that involves supporting him in this program, but if you have an alternative plan, by all means share." Audrey said, her voice bitter and sarcastic.

Both adults jumped as the back door opened and Josh walked into the kitchen. Audrey sighed and without another word followed Josh into the kitchen to begin cooking dinner. Forgetting about getting a snack, Drake raced back upstairs and made a beeline for the bathroom locking it behind him.

Taking deep breaths he turned on the faucet on the sink and made the water as cold as possible before splashing his face. In all the years that his mom had been married to Walter, Drake could count on one hand the number of times they had seriously fought like they had just now in the living room. His stomach churned and he leaned over the sink as a wave of nausea hit him. The last thing he wanted was for his family to be affected by his problems and now his parents were fighting because of him. He jumped and nearly fell over as someone knocked on the door.

"Drake? Get out of the bathroom I need to pee!" Megan said, pounding on the door. Drake let out a long sigh, dried the water off his face and unlocked the door.

Megan looked at her brother curiously as he opened the door. He looked upset.

"What were you doing in there?" She asked slowly.

"What do you think? I could go into details but…" Drake answered smirking and leaning against the bathroom doorway.

"Gross!…you're such a boob." Megan said glaring at her brother. Drake laughed and raised his arm above the doorway just enough so Megan had to walk under his arm to get into the bathroom.

"Move it!" She snapped walking under his arm and pushing him aside. Drake laughed again but as he brought his arm down a single strip of toilet paper fell out of his sweatshirt sleeve. Megan's eyes widened as she noticed the large red stain on the toilet paper. His makeshift bandage from earlier that afternoon at school had come untied and fallen out of his sweatshirt.

Without saying a word, Drake quickly grabbed the soiled piece of toilet paper and tossed it in the trash. He knew Megan wasn't stupid and knew perfectly well how he had gotten all those scars on his arms.

For a second, Megan just stared at her brother dumbfounded trying to figure out what to say or do. Then without warning, she raised her arm and slapped Drake across the face. Stunned, he gaped at her speechless, eyes wide. He had never seen Megan look so angry in his life.

"You promised." Megan said, her voice dangerously low and angry.

"I…what?" Drake answered brilliantly rubbing his still stinging cheek.

"You promised Josh you would stop. I didn't think I had to worry because you promised him you would stop. But, you didn't…you're a liar!" She practically screamed at him.

"How did you know that?" Drake said just above a whisper, staring at the floor ashamed. He couldn't bring himself to look at Megan's face.

"I heard you the other night talking to him. You're such a selfish IDIOT!" She screamed storming down the hall before slamming her bedroom door loudly behind her. Drake sagged against the bathroom door and tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down without success. Seconds later Walter appeared at the top of the stairs.

"What happened? Why was Megan shouting?" He asked slowly walking towards Drake.

"She's mad…I don't know…I have to…I'm sorry." He stammered before stepping aside and running down the stairs before Walter could stop him. He ignored his mom calling his name and continued out the front door. His breathing became staggered his chest tightened and constricted. Hands shaking, he fumbled to unlock his car. Once inside, he dug around the glove compartment until he found the small empty candy box that he used to keep a razor hidden is his car. He pushed up the left sleeve of his sweatshirt when the passenger door was suddenly thrown open and warm hands grabbed his wrist.

"Stop it Drake." Josh said as he gently as he could. He turned Drake's wrist, palm facing up and took the blade out of his hand.

"NO!" Drake cried reaching across Josh to grab the blade back but Josh threw it out the window before he could grab it. When Josh turned his attention back to Drake, he found his brother slumped back in the driver's seat breathing heavily.

"It's okay. Calm down." Josh coaxed. A few minutes later, Josh slowly began to question him.

"What happened?"

"Megan…she saw…I mean she wasn't supposed to see it." Drake said, staring at the steering wheel.

"Saw what?"

Drake looked up at Josh and was surprised to see he didn't look angry like he had expected, only sad and concerned.

"I…cut at school today." Drake said softly.

"You what?" Josh replied shocked.

"I messed up. I tied some toilet paper around it so stop the bleeding but it didn't work. It fell out and Megan…" Drake cleared his throat and shook his head, but Josh was able to piece the rest together.

"She'll get over it, I promise. She's upset right now. You are too. It'll work out, just give her some time and she'll come around." Josh said, hoping what he said wouldn't make things worse.

"Come back inside. Dinner's going to be ready soon." Josh said putting a hand on the door.

"I'm not hungry."

At this Josh laughed. "What are you talking about? You're always hungry." Drake absentmindedly picked at the leather around the steering wheel in response.

"What about you? Do you forgive me?"

Josh's mouth went dry and was lost for words.

"You need help Drake, it's okay. You're going to be fine." Josh stammered, tripping over his words.

"That doesn't answer the question." Drake replied, his voice low and dull.

"I forgive you." Josh said a second later. Drake smiled, but Josh could see it was fake, he knew Drake didn't believe him.

"Right." Drake snorted sarcastically, then opened the car door and walked quickly back into the house, Josh following closely behind.

The next morning Drake was brushing his teeth in the bathroom when someone knocked lightly on the door. He froze momentarily as Megan stepped into the bathroom and grabbed her hairbrush out of the side drawer on the counter and began fixing her hair. Drake spat into the sink and rinsed his mouth out not wanting to start another fight with Megan or say something he would later regret. He didn't know what else to say to her except to apologize…again.

He made it as far as the door when she stopped him.

"Promise me then. Since you can't keep your promise to Josh, promise me." Her voice was even and sounded almost casual. She stared in the mirror and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, brushing out the knots and bumps in it as she spoke.

"Megan, I…"

"Promise me!" She cried turning to face him.

"Look Megan, I know that you're mad and…"

"Damn it Drake promise me!" Megan stamped her foot as if to prove her point.

Once again Drake found himself speechless as he stared at his little sister. All he could manage to do at that moment was slowly nod.

"You're right, I messed up, I'm sorry." Drake cleared his throat, his mouth suddenly dry. Megan continued to stare at him, waiting.

"I promise." Drake said a few seconds later. She sighed and then put her hairbrush back in the drawer. When she turned back to him, Drake noticed her features had softened slightly.

"You better mean it this time." She said flatly before leaving the bathroom, leaving Drake just as stunned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

School passed just as slowly as it had the day before for Drake. When he heard the lunch bell he dragged his feet to the cafeteria and hesitated a minute before walking over to the table where Josh was sitting with Mindy.

"Yo." Drake muttered sliding into the seat across from Mindy. Josh looked up momentarily surprised to see Drake. He usually ate at the table with all the "popular" kids.

"Uh, hey bro." Josh said uncertain.

"What? Is it against the law for me to sit here?" Drake snapped.

"No, it's just not your normal place." Josh recovered quickly.

"Usually you're entertained by seeing how many bags of potato chips one of your below average IQ friends can shove into their mouths." Mindy said with a smirk.

"Nice to see you too Creature."

"Underachiever." Mindy muttered before turning back to Josh who noticed the slightest of smiles on Drake's face and knew instantly then why he chose to sit with them; he felt safe here.

Finally, Drake made it to his last class of the day, making him feel an odd combination of relief and dread. Relief because the end of the day was only an hour and a half away; dread because he knew at some point he would be dragged out of class early to make it to the stupid outpatient program on time. Sure enough about 20 minutes before the end of the school day, the office called the classroom telling his teacher that someone was in the office to pick him up. For a split second he debated staying seated in his chair, but the dread of his mom walking into the classroom to see what was taking him so long made him grab his backpack and slowly make his way to the office. When he got there, he was surprised to see Walter and not his mom waiting for him.

"Hey kid, you ready?" Walter asked smiling at his son. Drake nodded and followed Walter out of the school to the parking lot. Drake stayed silent as he climbed into the car and threw his backpack on the floor. After his parent's argument last night Walter had seemed so against the outpatient therapy, he hadn't expected him to be the one to take him there.

"Look Drake, I know this outpatient program is the last thing you want to do…but, it, uh could be a good thing. Dr. Richardson thinks it will help." From the strain in his voice, Drake wasn't sure if Walter was trying to reassure him or himself. A few minutes later Walter pulled into the hospital parking lot and cut the engine. Neither one of them said anything as they walked into the hospital and took the elevator to the fifth floor where the outpatient program was held.

"Can I help you?" A nurse said from the front desk as they approached.

"Um, my son Drake Parker is supposed to start the outpatient program today." Walter cleared his throat.

"Who was the doctor that referred you?" The nurse asked spinning around in her chair to face her computer.

"Dr. Richardson." Walter answered flatly. The nurse plucked at her keyboard for a minute before turning back to them.

"Dr. Richardson will be up shortly. He'll walk you through a few basic rules then introduce you to Dr. Evans, he's been assigned to be your counselor during the duration of your stay here." Drake bit his tongue to suppress a groan.

"Okay, it looks like everything is set, only thing we need is for you to fill out these forms, and Drake you need to fill out this questionnaire." The nurse said turning away from the computer and handing each of them a separate clipboard with forms.

Drake sat down in the small waiting area and stared at the questionnaire in front of him frowning. Every question was one of those, "on a scale from 1-5 how are you feeling today" type of questions. How often do you feel the urge to hurt yourself or others around you? Have you ever had suicidal thoughts?

Drake scowled and was tempted to bubble in the small circles at random like he did on tests at school when he was bored or knew he had no chance of passing. He thought better of it though knowing that instead of it getting him detention it would end up getting him committed for good. He had only answered the first couple of questions when Dr. Richardson appeared above him. Walter stood up and shook the doctor's hand. Drake remained seated.

"Hello Drake, it's good to see you again." Dr. Richardson said extending his arm towards Drake who finally stopped and looked up at the doctor.

"Hi." Drake muttered not taking the doctor's hand, Dr. Richardson however did not seem offended or surprised by Drake's distant behavior. Instead, Dr. Richardson merely eased himself down into the chair across from Drake.

"First of all Drake, I want to say that I don't want you to think of this as a punishment." Dr. Richardson began, Drake snorted. Dr. Richardson smiled and continued as if Drake had said nothing.

"The rules here are pretty simple. There's no drugs, violence or inappropriate touching with another patient or staff member. Show respect to everyone on the floor and be honest. Most importantly anything said during group or to your counselor is strictly confidential. Any questions?" Dr. Richardson asked after listing the rules. Drake shook his head.

"Right then, follow me. Dr. Evans is one of the department chairs of the outpatient department. He specializes in adolescent behavior which is why I asked him to be your counselor." Drake tuned out the doctor as he continued to explain various facts about the program and facility until he stopped in front of an office door and knocked before entering the office.

"Drake, I'd like you to meet Dr. Evans." Dr. Richardson introduced.

"Walter Nichols." Walter said shaking the doctor's hand.

Drake hesitated, studying the doctor in front of him before lightly shaking his hand. He could tell that Dr. Evans was quite a few years older than Dr. Richardson from the wisps of grey in his dark blonde hair.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Drake just nodded already sick of all the pleasantries.

"Right, well, I'll see you around Drake." Dr. Richardson clapped Drake lightly on the shoulder and motioned for Walter to follow him out.

"I'll see you in a few hours." Walter said giving Drake a half-hearted smile before following Dr. Richardson.

"Follow me Drake. Now, group has already started but as it is your first day no one will care that you're late. We'll talk after group alright?" Dr. Evans explained as Drake followed him down a hall to a large open room where a group of about ten to fifteen kids sat in a circle, he shifted nervously as all eyes turned toward him when they entered.

"Hello everyone, I apologize for the interruption. I'd like to introduce Drake Parker. Today is his first day on the floor so I know you will all make him feel welcome." Dr. Evans announced. There were murmurs of "hi Drake" and "welcome" as Drake quickly found an empty seat.

"Welcome Drake, my name is Nurse Williams. We just started, so feel free to jump in if you have anything to say." Nurse Williams said gently.

"Sure." Drake muttered barely above a whisper. He leaned his head back against the wall and let out a heavy sigh as a girl across the room began talking.

_I don't belong here_ Drake thought dryly and glanced up at the clock counting the seconds until he could leave.

_**Hey Everyone,**_

_**So yes, I am still alive and yes I'm back to writing this story. Once again I greatly apologize for the long delay in updates. I recently got a job so working has been my priority but never fear I am back to writing and hopefully will be updating more frequently.**_

_**Please pardon any typos, I tried to get them all but I did edit this chapter at like 1:00 in the morning, so I know there might be a few that I missed. Let me know what you all think. Also, more action to come in future chapters with Rick and the upcoming trial. **_

_**As always reviews are greatly appreciated. You have no idea how much they make my day. **_

_**Thank you so much to everyone who continues to stick with this story, I love you all and I will try to update again soon! **_

_**-Fantasyforever1989**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Quick A/N: I haven't said it recently, so thank you SO much for reviewing guys; they are my motivation to keep updating! You guys are amazing! **_

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh, all rights go to the creators of the show.

"What's that you're working on?" Drake jumped as Nurse Williams voice made him drop his pencil and look up at her. Apparently, every day after group therapy, they had some form of an activity. Today, was occupational therapy, or as Drake called it, arts and crafts. Bored and annoyed, Drake had grabbed a pencil and paper and had attempted to continue to try and write a new song for his band.

"Uh, nothing." Drake muttered in response to Nurse William's question.

"It doesn't look like nothing. Do you like to write?" The nurse asked, appearing interested.

"No." Drake answered quickly before turning his back on her and wadding up the piece of paper before tossing it into the trashcan across the room.

"Well, there are plenty of other things to do here. You can get some construction paper and some crayons and draw if you want, or if you want a little challenge there's a book on origami on the shelf. Sometimes keeping your hands busy and focusing on a small task can be extremely helpful when you are upset or just need to clear your head."

"I'm fine." He said dryly grabbing another piece of lined paper, purposefully choosing a different seat across the room away from Nurse Williams.

"You better be careful. Trust me, you don't want to get on the nurses' bad side. They see everything you do, which always ends up getting back to your doctor. Then, you end up stuck here longer." Shocked, Drake stared at the boy sitting next to him who had spoke. The kid looked like he couldn't be older than 11, but as they were on the adolescent floor, he knew that he had to be at least 13 at the youngest.

"Right." Drake said and offered the boy a small grin in return.

"My name's Andrew." The kid offered matter-of-factly.

"Drake." Drake said again, even though it was kind of pointless to introduce himself seeing as Dr. Evans had publically announced his entrance to the whole floor.

"So, what'd you get busted for?" Andrew asked.

"Uh, well…it's um…complicated." Drake stammered, not wanting to say more to a complete stranger. He had done enough talking in the past few days to last him a lifetime. Andrew shrugged and continued methodically folding pieces of bright paper in front of him. In minutes he had four paper cranes sitting on the table in front of him.

"You memorized origami?" Drake asked impressed. Origami seemed so complicated to Drake, yet Andrew made it look simple and easy. Andrew shrugged again.

"Nothing better to do here." He answered as he started folding a fifth paper crane.

Drake wasn't sure what it was about Andrew, but so far he was the only person that Drake felt comfortable talking to in this place, almost normal.

"How old are you?" Drake asked curious. At this, Andrew looked up at him and smirked.

"I'm almost sixteen."

"Oh." Was all Drake could think of to say. He was suddenly curious as to what Andrew had done to get in the hospital but seeing as how he hadn't told him why he was there it felt rude to ask. Instead he again tried to focus his attention on writing new song lyrics. He had only written a few lines when Nurse Williams told them to put all their supplies back and to head back to the room where they had had group therapy earlier. Frustrated he folded the paper and stuffed it in his back pocket to work on later. He was halfway back to the group therapy room when a nurse stopped him.

"Drake, Dr. Evans would like to meet with you now." Drake bit down on his tongue to resist the urge to cuss out the nurse. He was starting to get more and more annoyed the longer he spent here and he definitely wasn't in the mood to have a therapy session. He hesitated for a moment, debating on making a run for the door. Then, cursing under his breath sighed and followed the nurse to Dr. Evans office. She knocked twice before opening the door.

"Drake Parker sir." The nurse stated then walked off in the opposite direction. Dr. Evans smiled at him.

"Please Drake, come in." Dr. Evans said gesturing to the chair opposite of his desk. After a moment's hesitation, Drake sank into the chair opposite of the doctor.

"So, seeing as this is our first meeting, I wanted to take the time to try and get to know each other a little better. Is that okay with you?" Dr. Evans asked. His voice was soft and calm and despite his irritation, Drake was surprised to feel himself relaxing slightly. He still didn't feel like talking though so he merely nodded at the doctor's question.

"Good. So, you go to Belle View right? How do you like school?"

Drake smirked. "Fine." He answered nonchalantly.

"What's your favorite subject?"

"Lunch." Drake said already getting bored and began picking at the leather in the worn chair he was sitting on. Dr. Evans laughed.

"Yeah, I didn't like high school much either. I spent most of my sophomore and junior year sneaking out of class and smoking behind the school gym." Dr. Evans leaned back in his chair watching Drake closely.

"Weed?" Drake asked shocked that a medical doctor would admit to using drugs. Dr. Evans laughed again at Drake's surprised face.

"Yes. Despite what you may think even doctors did crazy things when they were younger. It wasn't until the middle of my senior year when I realized I might not graduate high school that I actually starting paying attention more in class. I ended up getting really into science, especially Biology. I thought it was cool learning about how our body's work. Later, I decided to go to college and majored in Biology. That's when I became even more fascinated with the brain and ended up changing my major to Psychology."

Drake merely nodded not sure how to react to Dr. Evans story; he knew what he was doing. It was the whole I'll-share-a-personal-story-to-gain-your-trust-act and Drake wasn't falling for it. He may be dumb when it came to school but he wasn't stupid. They fell into a semi-awkward silence, which was broken again by Dr. Evans.

"You really don't want to be here do you?" Dr. Evans asked calmly. It sounded more like a statement then a question. Drake glared at the doctor.

"Figured that out huh?" Drake retorted sarcastically.

"It's okay that you don't want to be here. All I can hope for is in time you'll feel that you got something helpful out of your time here."

Drake snorted. _Not likely._

"Why do you think you are here Drake?" Dr. Evans asked. Drake continued to glare at the doctor.

"Because CPS ordered me too." Drake didn't even try to hide the hate he felt towards Child Protective Services.

"Well then let's take a step back, why do you think CPS thinks you should be here?" Drake rolled his eyes.

"Take your pick. I'm a danger to myself, I've been traumatized, that I need therapy. I'm just another…case to them." Drake broke eye contact with Dr. Evans who noticed the visible change in Drake's demeanor immediately. It was a common symptom for many abuse victims, not being able to say the words out loud, to admit they were victims. They didn't want to admit they were abused or being abused. Saying it out loud makes it more real.

"Do you agree with any of that?" Dr. Evans asked leaning back in his chair.

Drake merely shrugged. Dr. Evans waited again, merely sitting back in his chair and studied Drake carefully, looking for any signs that would help indicate what was going through the teen's head.

"Do you feel comfortable here?" Dr. Evans asked, Drake stared at him blankly.

"Huh?" Drake answered confused, what kind of dumb question was that?

"I asked if you felt comfortable here. You look like you fairly relaxed sitting there at least, so I was wondering how comfortable you feel here so far." Dr. Evans explained calmly. Drake shrugged again.

"I already told you I don't want to be here." Drake answered plainly. Dr. Evans smiled.

"I know that much, that's not what I asked. Let me rephrase the question then, do you feel safe here?"

Drake absentmindedly began picking at his fingernails.

"I don't know." Drake replied honestly, his voice soft.

"I see. Where would you say then you feel the most safe? At home?" Dr. Evans asked. Drake continued to methodically pick at his fingernails to keep his hands busy, not really paying attention to what he was doing. He thought about the doctor's question and shook his head.

"Kind of…not really though." Drake said in response to the doctor's question. The minute he said it, he was surprised at how true it was. Home wasn't the place he felt the most safe anymore. Rick knew where he lived and ever since he had come home from the hospital the other day, not a single person at home had treated him normally, not even Megan. No, the place he felt most safe at ironically now was school where he was surrounded by hundreds of people and didn't have to worry about people watching his every move.

"You look surprised." Dr. Evans observed. Drake kept his gaze on the ground not sure what to say.

"I guess, yeah." He said quietly.

"Can you tell me why?" Dr. Evans asked slowly. Drake sighed, trying to work his thoughts out.

"I guess…because…I don't know, everyone judges me at home…at least now they do." Drake stammered, not sure how to put his jumbled thoughts into words.

"Your parents seem very supportive. Your stepfather sounded more than willing to help you in any way he can, and I haven't met your mother yet but I did speak to her briefly on the phone and she too expressed concern for you."

Drake snorted.

"My mother is in denial. She wants to keep me in a bubble and pretend like everything is okay." Drake suddenly looked up at the doctor appalled that he had managed to get him to open so much when he had been so adamant to not talk to the doctor at all. Drake stopped talking and folded his arms across his chest defiantly.

"What makes you think that?" Dr. Evans pressed.

"I just do." Drake muttered keeping his arms folded.

"I see. Sometimes Drake the people closest to us have the hardest time accepting difficult situations, especially situations that affect the whole family. Your mother loves you very much, and she is trying to help you and be there for you in her own way." Dr. Evans explained, Drake rolled his eyes at the doctor.

"Yeah? I don't need her sympathy or to be treated like some damn nut case." Drake said bitterly.

"Well, have you tried telling her that? If you're honest with her, you two might be able to reach a better understanding of each other. You say she doesn't understand or listen to you, but you need to give her the same respect, understand?" Dr. Evans said. Drake sighed again.

"Whatever." He muttered in response.

Just then Dr. Evans looked down at his watch.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today Drake. We'll talk more on Wednesday alright?" Dr. Evans said standing up, Drake followed suite.

"Right." Drake said sarcastically opening the door and walking out of the small office before Dr. Evans could say anything else to him. He was still annoyed that the doctor had managed to get him to say so much.

When 6:00 finally rolled around, Drake was one of the first of the patients to line up to leave. An orderly escorted them off the floor and to the hospital lobby where he quickly spotted Walter waiting with a group of other parents.

"Hey kiddo, how'd it go?" Walter asked. Drake could tell he was putting all his energy into being extra cheery about the whole situation, making him grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Can we just go?" Drake said impatiently, wanting nothing more than to leave the hospital as fast as possible, Walter nodded and followed Drake out of the double doors that led to the parking lot. Drake was thankful that Walter didn't try to keep up the fake, cheery chitchat during the ride home and leaned his head against the window.

When they got home, Drake could smell that dinner was already ready.

"I saved you both a plate." Audrey said smiling.

"Yeah." Drake muttered as he crossed the living room to head up the stairs. Walter walked over to her and smiled back giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks honey." He said going over the refrigerator and pulling out one of the plates with foil wrapped around it.

"How is he?" She asked looking up at the stairs towards Drake and Josh's room. Walter sighed.

"I don't know. He didn't want to talk about any of the program at all, he just wanted to get home." Walter said quietly. It was Audrey's turn to sigh.

_At least he wants to come home _she thought somberly.

_**Hey Everyone,**_

_**Goodness it has been FOREVER once again since I have updated this fic . Again, I apologize for not updating more frequently. I started writing this chapter probably 3 months ago but I kept stopping and coming back to it because I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this story, but I think I have a better idea now so I will try to update more frequently. Let me know what you think of this chapter, too long/short, repetitive, boring? I wanted to spend a little time to show what the outpatient program is like. **_

_**As always reviews are greatly appreciated they make my day! You all are awesome! **_

_**-Fantasyforever1989 **_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: For some reason, fan fiction . net was sending review alerts to my junk mail instead of my inbox, so I'm just seeing some reviews on the last chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this story so far. Reviews make my day! I've said it before and I'll say it again, you guys are awesome! **_

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh. All rights go to the creators of the show.

Drake sat in one of the hard, plastic chairs near the window of the open meeting room where the hospital held group therapy. It was 5 minutes until they would be allowed to leave the floor. He was jumpy and anxious and it took every bit of his will power to stay seated and not bolt for the door. It was only his second day in the out patient program, but Drake was already starting to hate every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. So far the only positive aspect of the program Drake could find was it met three days a week and not every day.

"Count to and from twenty in your head." Andrew whispered to Drake leaning over in his chair. Drake raised his eyebrows in confusion at him. Andrew smirked.

"It distracts me. Counting makes the time go by faster and keeps you thinking about something else." Andrew whispered back. Drake grinned, the more he got to know Andrew the more he liked him. Andrew was resourceful and cleaver. He didn't speak much during group, yet he seemed to be on all the nurse's good side, a fact that surprised Drake somewhat. He decided to try Andrew's suggestion and began counting backwards from twenty then reversed it. Surprisingly, it did help distract him and helped him focus on something mindless and unimportant than group. He grinned when the nurse running group dismissed them and everyone scrambled to line up to leave.

"Where do you come up with stuff like that?" Drake asked Andrew who laughed in response.

"I'm a genius what can I say." He answered still grinning. Once again Drake found himself wondering what Andrew had done to end up here, but he still hadn't had the courage to ask him. The grin on Drake's face faded as he spotted Dr. Evans walking towards him.

"Drake, before you leave I'd like to speak with you for a few minutes." Drake bit down hard on his tongue to keep from cussing out the doctor. Andrew gave him a curious expression asking silently, _what did you do?_

Drake shook his head at him; he was as clueless as Andrew was. Not seeing any choice and just wanting to do anything to leave this hospital as soon as possible, Drake silently followed Dr. Evans to his office where he stood frozen, shocked in the doorway. Both Walter and his mother were sitting in the spare chairs across from Dr. Evan's desk.

"What happened?" Drake asked, his voice shaking slightly, he was suddenly extremely nervous.

"Please Drake, have a seat." Dr. Evans said calmly, but Drake shook his head and continued to stand, crossing his arms again over his chest.

Dr. Evans sighed.

"Very well. I asked your parents here Drake because earlier today I received a call from Child Protective Services. They've taken your father's statement." Dr. Evans paused watching Drake closely who felt like he had just had the wind knocked out of him.

"Rick is testifying against you Drake. Now, you shouldn't be alarmed, no one fully expected him to cooperate and come clean. I'm sorry Drake."

Feeling suddenly lightheaded, Drake sank into the remaining chair next to his mom. She tried to grab his hand but he pulled away from her not wanting to be touched.

"This doesn't mean it's over Drake. We're not going to let him get away with this okay? But, we're going to need your cooperation. It will be difficult, but you have a ton of people supporting you, the law is on your side, but I'm afraid you're going to have to testify against Rick. Do you understand?" Dr. Evans spoke slowly.

Drake stared at the doctor blankly, still trying to process what he was saying. He knew this was going to happen the minute he told Dr. Richardson how he had gotten hurt, but the reality had not fully hit him until this very moment.

"You're not alone in this baby, you know that right?" Audrey said gently. She started to reach out to touch Drake again, but after a moment's hesitation dropped her hand awkwardly back into her lap.

"Drake, do you understand what we're telling you?" Dr. Evans asked again a few minutes later when Drake still had said nothing.

"I heard you." Drake finally whispered barely audible.

"I know this is difficult for you Drake, but in the end this is the best option. Going to court is the only way to fully ensure your father won't come near you again. The court has ordered a restraining order for your protection as well; he can't come near you before the trial. You're safe." Drake finally looked up at Dr. Evans and shocked everyone in the room by laughing. It was a cold, sarcastic laugh.

"Safe? A restraining order? You really think a stupid piece of paper is going to hold him back? You don't know him at all." Drake said coldly. He stood up, too anxious to sit still and began pacing the small office; Dr. Evans didn't make a move to stop him.

"It's more than just a piece of paper Drake. If he comes within 25 feet of you he'll be arrested on the spot." Walter offered trying to help, but by the way Drake's features hardened, he clearly had said the wrong thing.

"Are you all idiots or are you just that stupid? He doesn't care about the cops or court. He wants me! And thanks to you he now wants me dead, and no damn restraining order is going to stop him!" Drake yelled. Frustrated, Drake kicked the wall of the small office. Audrey jumped startled; Walter stood up and took a step towards Drake gently grabbing his arm.

"Drake…"

DON'T TOUCH ME!" Drake screamed roughly pulling away from Walter and backing up against the wall.

"Drake, it's alright." Dr. Evans said calmly standing up and walking around his desk. Drake began frantically pacing the small office faster then before while gripping his hair hard with both hands.

"I can't…I don't want to…I can't do it." Drake muttered to himself. Audrey glanced worriedly at Dr. Evans at a complete loss of how to help her son.

"Drake, it's alright, try and relax, you're okay." Dr. Evans spoke softly. Drake appeared not to hear him or his parents. He merely gripped his hair harder and shook his head.

"Drake, look at me." Dr. Evans said slowly and gently touched Drake's shoulder. The sudden contact shocked Drake enough to get him to stop his frantic pacing. His back stiffened and he went rigid as his whole body shuddered. He looked up at Dr. Evans confused then his face crumpled and he covered his mouth as tears began pooling in his eyes.

"Drake…" Walter cautiously said but Drake shook his head and backed up even further until he hit the wall. Feeling suddenly drained of all energy, Drake's legs gave out from under him as his knees buckled and he sank to the floor. His body shook with sobs and he kept his head bowed towards the floor.

Dr. Evans knelt down, putting his weight on the balls of his feet and resting his elbows on his knees so he was at eye level with Drake.

"Drake, look at me." He said again, trying to get the teen's attention. That's it, come on now. You're all right. You're okay, that's it just relax." Dr. Evans coaxed softly, trying to reassure Drake. Audrey and Walter stood back shocked at Drake's outburst. Audrey hastily wiped her eyes trying to hide tears of her own as she watched her son sobbing on the ground next to Dr. Evans. Walter covered his mouth, pale and slightly shell-shocked. He had never seen Drake fall apart…not like this.

"Please…I want…I want to go…" Drake paused, coughing between sobs. Lately it seemed the harder he tried to control his emotions, the more out of control they became. "I can't…I…I don't want to…" Drake gasped.

"It's okay Drake. We'll figure it out okay, just relax." Dr. Evans soothed. He looked up at Audrey and Walter and nodded once. Drake continued to sit with his eyes closed, his hands balled up in fists against his eyes. Once he had calmed down from the worst of his hysteria, he looked up, his face pale and tearstained at Dr. Evans.

"Don't make me do it…you don't know…he'll kill me!" Drake blurted before he could stop himself.

Dr. Evans waited until Drake finally brought his eyes up level with his before speaking again. "You're safe here; there are a lot of people that will protect you. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for kid and I know you'll amaze yourself at what you're capable of. I know you can do this. So, what do you say?" Dr. Evans said standing up and grinning down at Drake. He held a hand out towards Drake who glanced around at his parents. Suddenly feeling self-conscious and embarrassed at his outburst, he closed his eyes again and took a staggering breath then grasped the doctor's hand, letting him pull him to his feet. He felt shaky and tired but he was at least in control of his emotions again. Drake dropped into the nearest chair exhausted.

"So what now?" He asked softly. Drake leaned forward in his chair and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples as he felt the beginnings of a headache.

"Right now, all I want you to worry about Drake is taking care of yourself. CPS probably won't be in contact with you until at least next week. Until then I want you to focus on everyday tasks like school and writing music." Dr. Evans said calmly. Walter opened his mouth like he was about to say something then glanced sideways at Drake and quickly shut it, changing his mind.

"So, basically pretend like nothing is happening and everything is okay." Drake said bitterly opening his eyes. Dr. Evans shook his head.

"No, that's not what I said. I want you to start recovering and getting better. Worrying about the unknown will just cause you more anxiety. So, until CPS contacts you I want you to focus on getting better and trying to get back into a normal routine, understand?"

Drake slowly sat back up, sighing.

"Fine…can I go now?" Drake asked standing up and pushing back his chair. He felt on edge and was having trouble sitting in one spot for too long. Dr. Evans hesitated, not sure if he felt comfortable letting Drake leave quite yet.

"Yes. I'll see you on Friday." Dr. Evans said making up his mind and standing up a minute later, shaking hands with Audrey and Walter. Drake had to bite his tongue again to keep from groaning.

Once they had all piled into the car, Drake leaned forward on his knees rubbing his head again, the pain in his temples slowly increasing.

"Are you okay?" Audrey asked a little uncertain as she watched Drake grimace in pain.

"Fine, just a headache." Drake murmured. Audrey looked at Walter worried.

"Are you sure? With the concussion and everything…" Drake opened his eyes and glared at his mother.

"I said I'm fine." Drake said coldly. Walter glanced into his rearview mirror at Drake.

"She's just worried Drake." Walter offered softly trying to ease the building tension between his wife and stepson.

When they reached the house, Drake wasted no time in rushing up to his bedroom and slammed the door behind him making Josh jump. Josh looked up at Drake sympathetically. He had expected Drake to be in a bad mood when he got home from the outpatient program.

"Bad?" Josh asked simply. Drake sighed laying down on the couch.

"He's testifying against me." Drake said scrunching his eyes shut in pain again. Josh's hand tightened around the pen he was holding so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Can he do that?" Josh asked in disbelief.

"Well, no one's stopping him." Drake said sarcastically keeping his eyes shut as he tried to ignore the dull throbbing that was increasing behind his eyes.

"He won't win. There's too much evidence against him." Josh said with so much conviction Drake almost believed him.

Drake sighed again then winced as a sharp pain shot across his forehead.

"Hey, toss me some Advil or something." Drake said sitting up slowly. Josh looked at him worriedly then dug around in his desk drawer for a minute before throwing a small bottle of Advil at Drake.

"Hurting?" Josh asked even though it was a dumb question since Drake was asking for painkillers.

"A little." Drake admitted.

"Why don't you take the medication Dr. Richardson gave you before you left the hospital? Those pills I'm sure work better than aspirin." Josh offered. Drake blinked, he had almost forgotten about the pills Dr. Richardson had prescribed.

"I'll get them for you." Josh said seeing as Drake looked like getting off the couch involved way too much energy at the moment.

"Thanks." Drake muttered setting the bottle of Advil on the table instead. Josh came back a minute later with the small, orange pill bottle in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Drake wordlessly took both and popped two of the small, white pills into his mouth before washing them down with the water.

"THAT BASTARD!" Rick threw the glass he was holding across the room in rage; he was livid. First, that bastard of a son of his goes yapping to some state official, then he gets a damn restraining order on him. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Cursing, he quickly lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. After another minute, he sat down on his couch and continued to take a few more drags on his cigarette as he made up his mind.

There was no way in hell he was going to go and rot in some jail cell and he was going to make sure one way or another that that didn't happen. Sticking the cigarette in his mouth, he reached across the cushion on the couch and grabbed his phone off the small coffee table. He waited impatiently as the dial tone connected the call.

"Well, I'll be damned, guess I can't get rid of you after all. What do you want Parker?" A high-set sounding female voice said on the other end of the line.

"I got a favor to ask you Angie."

The woman laughed.

"Why am I not surprised?" She replied a second later.

_**Yay! For once it didn't take me six months to update a chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think. I was debating whether or not to have Drake break down in Dr. Evans office because I don't want to be too repetitive where Drake is breaking down or having a panic attack in every chapter or anything. But, at the same time at the moment Drake is pretty much an emotional wreck, which is why I chose to leave that bit in. Thank you so much to everyone who is still reading and reviewing this story, you guys have no idea how much it means to me. I will try to keep the more frequent updates going.**_

_**As always reviews are greatly appreciated,**_

_**-Fantasyforever1989 **_


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Quick author's note, just wanted to do a shout out to everyone who reviewed this past chapter. I tried to respond to all of you, but if I missed you, I'm really sorry. Please know that reviews make my day and I appreciate them all! You guys are awesome and I hope you are enjoying the story.**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh. All rights go to the creators of the show.

Rick leaned against his kitchen counter watching the woman across from him, Angelina Conner, Angie for short. It had been almost four months since he had seen her, but other than her hair color, she looked exactly the same to him. Tall and thin with light brown eyes and wavy, now bleached blonde hair that hung past her shoulders. The last time he'd seen her it had been her natural fiery red hair, he could see a few of her natural roots starting to poke through the blonde.

"I don't know Parker, it sounds risky." Angie said, staring straight at him while smoking a cigarette. Rick grinded his teeth, aggravated.

"Look, I'll pay you Angie, if that's what you want, but I need you to do this…We used to do things for each other all the time, remember?" Rick said, forcing his voice to be smooth and neutral. Angie laughed.

"I don't know about that. I remember you getting me into a whole heap of trouble. When I ran off with you that was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I never should have left Los Angeles." Angie replied walking across the room and sitting down on the torn couch as she lit another cigarette. Rick drummed his knuckles on the counter impatient as he waited for Angie's answer. Finally, Angie leaned her head back on the couch and let out a heavy sigh.

"Why is it I can never say no to you?" She said quietly a few minutes later. Rick smiled, joining her on the couch before leaning over and kissing her lightly on the cheek once.

"Because you still love me." He whispered into her neck as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brushed a few stray strands of hair off her face.

Angie rolled her eyes. "Love, I would say is too strong of a word."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Are you serious Drake?" You haven't written _anything_ new?" Jake exclaimed as he set down his guitar, Drake groaned inwardly.

"I said I'm working on it." Drake replied irritated. This had been one of the longest and most frustrating band rehearsals they had had in a long time.

"Dude, what's with you? You said you'd be done with new lyrics last week and now you say you haven't even finished one song? What the hell?" Jake retorted, clearly annoyed.

"If you want new lyrics so badly, you try writing the songs, and when they turn out to be a piece of crap don't come running to me." Drake practically yelled at Jake.

"You know what? I don't need this shit." Jake muttered grabbing his guitar quickly before stomping out of the garage. The rest of his band members shifted uncomfortably waiting to see if Drake would say anything else.

"The rest of you might as well go too. No point rehearsing if no one is playing bass." Drake sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, feeling just as frustrated and annoyed as Jake.

"See you around Drake." His drummer said, slapping hands with Drake before leaving.

"Yeah." Drake agreed. He ran a hand through his hair frustrated. Usually, band rehearsals served as a good distraction for him but lately they had become aggravating more than anything. It wasn't like he hadn't tried countless times to write new material for them, he just couldn't seem to shake this writer's block. He leaned down to pick up a pair of drumsticks that had fallen and winced as his ribs protested the movement. Cursing, he put his right hand over his ribcage and carefully stood back up and leaned against the drum set until the throbbing under his hand lessened.

After a minute, Drake slowly staggered back into the house and made a beeline for the kitchen where he quickly snatched the pill bottle containing his pain medication off the counter and popped two pills in his mouth before washing them down with a glass of Moca Cola. Despite the medication, Drake couldn't help grimacing at each movement. His ribs were supposedly healing but they sure didn't feel like it. He lifted his shirt and carefully undid the end of the ace bandage wrapped around his midsection to readjust it.

"I'm telling you, if we switched the polarity and increased the power, we would…" Josh stopped midsentence, suddenly distracted as he walked through the door, Mindy right behind him. Drake was leaning against the counter in the kitchen with his shirt pulled up exposing his bruised and wrapped midsection. He glanced at Mindy who was standing beside him now with a similar shocked expression.

Drake quickly let his shirt fall back down covering the ace bandage even though he knew both Josh and Mindy had seen the damage.

"Hey." Drake said as nonchalantly as he could before grabbing the rest of his soda and heading upstairs. Josh groaned and sat down on the couch rubbing his hands over his face. After a moment's hesitation Mindy sat down next to Josh and gently put her hands in his.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" Mindy asked leaning into Josh a little to try and get him to look at her. Josh sighed and finally looked up at her wracking his brain to come up with an explanation.

"It's complicated." Josh mumbled after a few minutes. Mindy smirked and squeezed his hand.

"You may have forgotten but understanding complicated things is kind of a specialty of mine. Even someone of Drake's IQ level could figure out that something has been bugging him lately, especially when he ate lunch with us. And, I know you. You get that look on your face where your forehead sags when you're upset about something and you've been wearing it a lot lately. So, what's going on?" Mindy asked again gently.

Josh glanced nervously at the stairs knowing that Drake most likely wouldn't want Mindy to know everything about his father.

"I…well, I don't know much I can say." Josh stammered.

"Is Drake in some kind of trouble?" Mindy asked quietly.

"Not exactly, no. He's just…uh…dealing with some things lately." Mindy nodded slowly.

"Let me guess, you can't tell me because you don't know if Drake would want me to know." Mindy said with a slight smile, Josh just stared at her stunned making Mindy laugh.

"You're forgetting again how well I know you. I hate to break it to you Josh, but I can always tell what you're thinking. Your body language always gives it away."

"Right." Josh said staring at the floor.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me, just know that I'm here for you." Mindy said after another few minutes of awkward silence. It was clear Josh had said as much as he felt comfortable sharing. Josh looked up from the floor at her and smiled, Mindy really was too good for him.

"You really are the best, you know that?" Josh said.

Mindy laughed. "I know." She said before leaning in to kiss Josh.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx Xx

The next week passed shockingly without any surprises. Drake was still a lot quieter then normal but he was starting to get his old appetite back and he hadn't had any breakdowns since he left Dr. Evan's office last week. Audrey was still watching him closely but she was cautiously optimistic. It was the first time since Drake had been discharged from the hospital that she felt everything really would work out okay. That was until the next afternoon when someone rang the doorbell.

Megan had answered the door to find a thin woman with short, blonde hair and blue eyes and a short man with dark eyes. They were both dressed very professionally and the man had a camera tripod in his hand.

"Can I help you?" Megan asked not opening the door all the way.

"Yes, we're with Child Protective Services, this is the home of Drake Parker is it not?" The blonde woman said flashing a government issued ID badge at her. Megan squinted down at the badge confused, what did Child Protective Services want with Drake?

"Yes…" Megan hesitated, still unsure of what to do.

"Megan? Who's at the door?" Audrey called from the hallway a second later, noticing that Megan hadn't come back into the living room yet.

"Hello, Mrs. Nichols, we met before at the hospital. My name is Tracy Moreno, this is my partner Jonathan West, we're with Child Protective Services. May we come in?" Tracy said as she and Jonathan both held up their identification badges again.

"Yes, yes, of course." Audrey said nervously glancing down at Megan who still stood off to the side of the door confused. Audrey knew that CPS was bound to show up sooner or later and that is was necessary for Drake to talk to them but she had hoped they would have gotten some warning before they came knocking at their front door.

"Is Drake home? We don't want to be any inconvenience; we just need to take his official statement. It shouldn't take any longer than an hour at the most." Jonathan said.

"Yes, he's home. Just, uh, give me a minute." Audrey stumbled, turning around to head up the stairs, at which point Walter had come out of the kitchen to find out what all the commotion was. He recognized the CPS officials from the hospital too and glanced at his wife with concern.

"Can I get you guys anything? Something to drink?" Walter asked trying to break the awkward tension that was slowly building in the room.

"Some water would be nice, thank you." Tracy answered as she sat down on the couch and began taking out various papers. Jonathan took a camera out of his bag and began setting it up on the tripod.

Audrey stood at the top of the stairs, leaning against the railing. Drake had finally started acting a little like his old self, she didn't want to ruin that by having him go downstairs to talk to CPS, but knew he didn't have a choice.

"Mom, what's going on? Why does Child Protective Services want to talk to Drake?" Audrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning around to face her daughter. She hadn't realized that Megan had followed her up the stairs.

"Megan, honey, Drake's been dealing with a lot of things since he got out of the hospital. He told the doctor at the hospital how he got hurt but he needs to make an official statement about it…it's complicated." Audrey answered slowly. She knew that Megan had very little memories about her father and she just couldn't bring herself to tell Megan what her father had done to Drake. Megan however was not satisfied by her mother's explanation.

"I can handle the truth you know. I'm not stupid, I know something's wrong and I'm sick of no one telling me what's going on around here." Megan said angrily before running into her room and slamming the door shut.

Audrey rubbed her forehead at a loss of what to do. It had been her decision to not tell Megan exactly how Drake had gotten hurt once Dr. Richardson had told them about Rick Parker. Part of it was because Megan was still very young and she wanted to protect her. Now she was starting to regret her decision, because Megan was right. She was smart and sooner or later she would figure out the truth about her father. It would be better for her to find out from her or Walter then any other way. Audrey sighed, right now she had to focus on getting Drake through this interview, then she would talk to Megan. She let out a low, deep, breath then knocked on the boy's bedroom door.

Both Drake and Josh looked up as their mom walked into their bedroom, Drake immediately sat up from the couch as his mom looked like she was about to start crying, something was wrong.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Josh asked, also picking up on his mom's worried expression.

"Um, Drake, there's some people downstairs that need to talk to you. They're from Child Protective Services." Audrey said as gently as she could. Drake suddenly paled and felt like he was going to be sick. Josh stood up from his desk immediately, ready to follow Drake downstairs, he wasn't about to let Drake face CPS alone, but Drake didn't get up from the couch, he stared at the floor with his hands balled up into tight fists on either side of his body.

"Drake, I know you don't want to do this, but it will help them to get Rick to pay for…for what he did." Audrey said quietly. Drake shook his head, knowing what his mother said was true but it was as if his legs had suddenly forgotten how to work properly. He couldn't bring himself to stand up quite yet.

"Just…give me a minute, I'm coming." Drake said quietly. Audrey bit her tongue but slowly nodded.

"I'll tell them." She said softly.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Josh asked walking over to the couch. Again, Drake shook his head, still staring at the floor.

"No." Drake answered softly. Josh knew more than anyone about his father's abuse but he wasn't about to tell him the gritty details especially while telling two strangers.

"You sure?" Josh asked watching Drake closely. Drake nodded before slowly, finally standing up, Josh followed behind him and paused at the bottom of the stairs where he watched as Drake shakily shook hands with the two CPS representatives. After a few seconds of small talk with his parents, Audrey and Walter also left the living room, leaving Drake alone with the two CPS representatives.

Drake squirmed on the couch unable to get comfortable. His heart felt like it was beating at a thousand miles an hour and he had to take several deep breaths to keep the nausea at bay.

"Don't pay attention to the camera Drake. We have to record the interview for legal purposes that's all." Jonathan said, noticing that Drake kept staring at the tripod. Drake managed to give Jonathan a small nod in return.

"We'll make this as quick as possible. We're going to ask you a series of questions today relating to why you are filing charges. All you have to do is answer every question as honest as possible. Before we begin do you have any questions for us?" Tracy began. Drake fidgeted again, already wishing this were over.

"No." Drake answered and began absentmindedly picking at his fingernails.

"Very well. To begin with, please state your name for the record." Jonathan said. Drake cleared his throat, his mouth extremely dry.

"Drake Parker." Drake croaked out.

"And just to be clear for the record. You reported that you have been physically abused by your biological father Rick Parker?" Tracy said while scribbling something down on her notepad.

"Are you serious?" Drake glared at Tracy, tired of the obvious, stupid questions. He felt like they were dragging this out even though they had only been talking for about two minutes.

"I know these questions sound redundant and obvious but we have to ask them to make sure we have every bit of evidence and all statements recorded and documented." Tracy added matter-of-factly. Drake gritted his teeth, annoyed. He hesitated then with a heavy sigh slowly nodded.

"Yes." Drake answered.

"What was your relationship like with your father as a child?" Drake bit down hard on his tongue to keep from cussing out Jonathan.

"I think it's safe to say it was…strained. Drake answered softly.

"Can you tell us when the abuse started?" Tracy asked glancing down at the notepad in her hands.

Drake unknowingly began picking at his arm. "A while ago." He muttered in response.

"I know this is difficult Drake, but we need you to be more specific. Did your father ever use any form of physical force against you as a child?" Tracy pressed.

Drake took a staggering breath, digging his fingernails into his arm.

"Y…yes. Yeah, he did." He stammered. He suddenly was having trouble forming words properly.

"It's okay Drake. Take your time." Jonathan said, taking note of Drake's distress.

"Can you remember how old you were when the abuse started?" Drake was quiet for several minutes.

He didn't think he could ever forget the first time his father had hit him.

_He had been six years old. It was late but Drake had woken up because he had to use the bathroom. He had tried to go back to sleep but he was thirsty so he had gone downstairs to get something to drink. It was then that he had heard something in the garage from the kitchen. It had sounded like a woman's voice; curious he crept to the side door leading out to the garage and cracked the door open just enough to peek inside._

_He saw his father leaning against a woman who was pressed up against his car. She was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a bra. Drake's small eyes widened in shock, at six years old he didn't fully comprehend what his dad was doing with this woman in the middle of the night. However, like any child he let his curiosity get the better of him and quietly slipped into the garage watching as his father pressed himself even closer to the woman and began making out with her, his hands tangled in her hair. He brought his hands slowly down her back and lifted her in one, swift motion off the ground and onto the hood of his car. The woman giggled tossing her head back. _

_That was when she saw him._

_Drake had snuck around to the side of the garage and was hiding between his mom's car and the water heater wanting to make sure he was out of his father's eyesight. When Rick had lifted the woman off the ground and she tossed her head back, she spotted his small figure crouched on the floor. She had gasped and let out a small shriek. Rick pulled away shocked._

"_What's wrong babe?" He asked softly._

"_THAT'S what's wrong!" The woman cried pointing across the garage at Drake, who stood still, shell-shocked, not sure what to do._

_Rick whipped around and his eyes slowly went from horror to anger as he watched his son._

"_I'm…I'm sorry daddy. I woke up and heard a noise from the garage." Drake tried to explain, his voice weak and shaky. He had never seen his father look so angry, he looked like a completely different person._

"_Get out of here Vanessa." Rick hissed, not taking his eyes off his son. His voice low and dangerous, she didn't bother arguing. Instead, she hopped off the hood of the car, quickly snatched her jacket and shoes off the floor and ran out of the garage._

"_You're going to pay for this." Rick snarled as he made his way across the garage to Drake._

"_Who was that girl daddy? What was she doing here?" Drake asked, still trying to understand. That was the last straw._

_Before he realized what was happening, Rick had backhanded him so hard he lost his balance and fell backwards onto the hard floor. He started crying and looked up at his dad confused._

"_I'm…I'm sorry daddy." Drake cried. _

"_Oh, you're not sorry, not sorry enough yet." Rick had hissed dangerously. And for the first time in his life, Drake knew what it felt like to be beaten._

Drake shook his head, trying to unsuccessfully wipe the memory away. Hesitating he tried to put his jumbled thoughts into words. He hadn't told anyone about the abuse as a child yet. Josh vaguely knew, but nothing specific.

"Drake?" Tracy asked again at Drake's continued silence.

"Six." Drake finally was able to choke out. He suddenly felt very hot and leaned down, pressing his palms into his eyes, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Are you alright Drake?" Jonathan asked sounding concerned.

Drake sighed again and slowly sat back up. "No, but I just want to get this over with." Drake replied honestly.

"Here." Tracy said pushing a glass of water into Drake's hands.

"Thanks." Drake said taking a big gulp of water in an attempt to wet his dry throat.

"Do you think you can you continue?" Tracy asked once Drake had set the glass on the coffee table, Drake shrugged, it wasn't like he had a choice.

"Okay, let's take things one thing at a time all right? You said you were six years old when the abuse started. Did it escalate from there?"

"What do you mean?" Drake asked, not sure how to answer.

"Let me try and rephrase the question. When your father first started abusing you, did he only hit you with his hands for example or did he ever use anything else? Or did he spend more time using physical abuse as you got older?" Tracy asked slowly.

"Yes…he'd just hit me over and over…at first but then he got…uh…worse." Drake stuttered, hoping he still made sense.

"Worse? How so?" Jonathan pressed. Drake groaned he couldn't help it. He knew this is what would happen. They wanted to know every gritty detail. When did Rick start hitting him, where did he hit him, how did he hit him.

"He didn't do it all the time, only when he was mad. Then after about a year or two, I'm not sure… he just seemed angry all the time…at me at least."

"At the hospital Drake, there was evidence that someone had used a belt or some other sharp object on your back, you never told Dr. Richardson or Evans exactly how that happened? Judging by the pictures that we took, it definitely looks like a belt caused your injuries. Are we right to assume this?" Tracy asked.

"Yes." Drake said wincing at the memory. He was starting to feel drained and tired. The faster he gave them the answers they were looking for, the faster he could go back into his room and maybe get some sleep.

"Did you ever document any of the abuse?" Tracy asked.

"Document?" Drake asked puzzled.

"It could be anything. A journal or diary perhaps where you wrote about the abuse? Written evidence could be used in court." Tracy explained. Drake shook his head.

"No, I didn't keep a journal." Drake responded.

"Did your father only ever use physical abuse against you Drake or did he ever escalate to other forms of abuse?" Tracy asked, trying to ask as delicately as she could.

"What? Like did he rape me or something?" Drake asked stunned and feeling sick again.

"We have to ask." Tracy said as lightly as she could.

"No, the answer is no." Drake said flatly. Rick Parker was a sick and twisted man, but thankfully not twisted enough to do that.

The rest of the interview was a blur to Drake. He was as honest as he could be. Sometimes, it took him several minutes to answer a simple question but Jonathan and Tracy were surprisingly very patient for him and never pressed him to hurry. They waited while he stumbled over his words and gave short, staggered responses. But, he answered. That was all they cared about.

Finally, when Drake was on the verge of ripping his hair out, Jonathan stood up from the chair he had occupied for a quarter of an hour and switched off the camera. Drake moaned and leaned his head back in the couch relieved.

"You did great Drake. I know how difficult this was for you." Tracy said, giving Drake a soft smile. She extended her hand to Drake and he briefly shook it.

"So, what happens now?" Drake asked as Jonathan finished putting the camera away and folded up the tripod.

"We have to interview your father. After that we'll have a judge review your case and set up a court date. Don't worry Drake; the law is on your side. We'll be in touch." Jonathan answered walking over to Drake and also shaking his hand.

"Are your parents still around? I'd like to speak with them before we leave." Tracy said, Drake bit his lip, hesitating a moment. He didn't want to discuss the interview with his parents.

"Uh, yeah, they're upstairs I think." Drake said. He walked across the room and made his way slowly up the stairs before knocking on his parent's bedroom door. Audrey and Walter both looked up as Drake stood in the doorway.

"Um, they want to talk to you before they leave." Drake muttered looking at the ground.

"Of course." Audrey said quickly standing up, Walter was right behind her.

"Are you okay?" Audrey asked, gently cupping his cheek in her hand.

Drake bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. His eyes suddenly stung and he merely gave his mother a weak nod, clearing his throat awkwardly not trusting himself to speak. It was the way she had touched him. She had barely put her hand on his face, but her touch was so tender and soft, a mother's magic touch. It made him feel like a little kid again, when he had a nightmare and she would hold him until he fell back asleep.

"Oh honey." Audrey said as a few stray tears leaked out and rolled down Drake's cheek. He had tried to fight it, but he was too tired to stop them. Audrey hesitated only for a second then gently pulled Drake against her wrapping her arms around him, offering the only type of comfort she could. He knew he had been treating his mom horribly lately. He needed someone to vent his anger at, to put blame on. It wasn't right or fair, but as Dr. Evans would say, it was a coping mechanism for Drake. He realized now that even though she was in denial about his self-injury and how to help him, she really did love him.

"You're going to be okay, do you hear me?" She said pulling away from Drake just enough to gently grasp his face in her hands, Drake still looked at the ground. He nodded again and hastily pulled apart from her to wipe his eyes.

Walter, who had stood back knowing that Audrey needed this moment with Drake walked over and also gave Drake a quick hug.

"Go get some rest kiddo, we'll be right back up okay." Walter offered afterwards. Drake cleared his throat again and let out a shaky breath.

"Okay." Drake croaked out loud, his voice hoarse.

Once his parents were out of sight, Drake slumped against the doorframe, closing his eyes for a few brief seconds.

"Drake?" A quiet voice said, he opened his eyes and was shocked to see Megan standing about two feet away from him. She had her arms wrapped around herself like she was cold and she seemed nervous.

"What?" Drake said pushing off the doorframe.

"All this time? You kept it to yourself all this time and you never told anyone." Megan spoke so quietly, but she never took her eyes off of Drake.

"How did you…?" Drake stammered. For the second time, Drake found himself speechless in front of his little sister.

"How do you think? I was in the kitchen the whole time those people were talking to you…I heard everything." Megan said.

"You what?" Drake breathed, his eyes widened in horror.

"No one would tell me anything. If no one was going to tell me what was going on around here, I was going to figure it out for myself, so I did." Megan said with a shrug.

"How did mom not know? How didn't I know?" Megan continued as she stepped closer to Drake. He wasn't sure if she was asking him or asking herself.

"It's better that you didn't. I didn't want him to…I would never forgive myself if he had done anything to you." Drake answered.

"I barely remember him, just vague images really." Megan said rubbing her forehead as if she was trying to recall all the memories she had of her biological father. Drake sighed.

"It's good that you don't remember him. Trust me, you're better off." Drake said. His voice held a bitter edge to it.

"I'm sorry." Megan said looking away from him.

"It's fine." Drake muttered, waving off her apology. Megan had nothing she needed to be sorry about. Just then Josh walked out of their bedroom.

"How'd it go?" He asked. Drake shrugged.

"It's over with, that's all I care about."

"Yeah." Josh agreed.

"So…what do you want to do now?" Josh asked awkwardly rubbing his hands on his jeans. Drake sighed.

"I'm going to try and take a nap." Drake muttered and yawned as if confirming his statement before walking towards his and Josh's bedroom.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx XxXxXx

Angie bit her lip as she glanced down at the fake ID Rick had handed her.

"It doesn't look like me." She mumbled setting it down on the counter.

"It's good enough." Rick retorted lighting a cigarette.

"You had them make me three years older than I really am." Angie complained. Rick rolled his eyes.

"Look, it's good enough, trust me. It will get you the job."

"And what am I supposed to do then? I don't know how to talk to kids." Angie said harshly.

"I don't care, tell those little shits whatever you want, just don't forget why you're really there."

"And you're sure there wasn't any other openings besides being a freaking school counselor?" Angie asked lighting a cigarette of her own. Rick shook his head.

"Nope, their current counselor went on maternity leave. Don't worry all the references on that resume I gave you are legit; you'll get the job. Starting Monday, Bell View High School will have a new school counselor." Rick said unable to keep himself from grinning; his plan was coming together even better than he expected.

_**Hey Everyone,  
So, once again I'm horrible at updating **__** (To anyone still reading and following this story, you guys are amazing and I love you all. I tried to make this chapter pretty long in an attempt to try to make up for the VERY belated update.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please be assured this story WILL be finished and I don't plan on it being another several months before I update. Thanks again so much to everyone who has read and reviewed so far and thank you for sticking with this story. Keep your eyes out for further updates to come soon!**_

_**As always reviews are greatly appreciated, they always make my day. You guys are awesome!**_

_**-Fantastyforever1989**_


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Drake and Josh. All rights go to the creators of the show. 

Angie shifted, adjusting the tan pencil skirt she was wearing, not used to wearing something so constricting; she hated pencil skirts. But she had to look the part of a professional school counselor so she begrudgingly switched her normal shorts and tank tops for a more professional attire, pencil skirt and all. Rick had been right about the interview, she had been offered the job on the spot, or rather, Rachel Fox as her ID now stated had gotten the job. All of her references had checked out as well. She didn't know exactly how he had managed to pull something like this off but Angie wasn't about to question the twisted mind of Rick Parker. Most of the work she was expected to do was mundane and a waste of time in her opinion. She shuffled paperwork around a desk and talked to random students who were sent to the counselor's office, pretended like she was listening and actually cared about what they were saying then wrote them a pass and sent them on their way.

She had only been at Belle View High for three days, but already she had memorized Drake Parker's class schedule. It was one of the first things she had done when she got the job and it only took her a matter of seconds to look up his file in the school's computer system. She had complete access to all his grades, his medical charts from the school nurse and his disciplinary record. As far as she could tell, Drake was a popular kid that was completely full of himself, he didn't put in any effort into his schoolwork and had received detention numerous times, though mainly from one teacher named Linda Hayfer.

She had only seen the boy twice, Rick had never showed her a picture of him but when she looked up his file and saw his picture and especially when she saw him in person in the cafeteria, there was no denying Drake was Rick Parker's son. He had the same color hair as Rick and similar facial features that could only be passed down from father to son. He even walked similar to Rick.

Angie had wanted to call Drake into her office the first day she had started working at the school but Rick had warned her against it. It would be too suspicious. They had to be patient.

"_If you play your part well, you'll know when the right time will be." Rick had told her the morning before she left for her first day._

"_I know you won't disappoint me Ang. Besides, you're one of the best actresses I know."_ He had said with a smirk, Angie had rolled her eyes at him but she agreed to keep up her part of the deal.

She looked up from her computer at the sound of someone knocking on her door.

"Come in." She answered, hoping she didn't sound too bored.

"Sorry to bother you Ms. Fox, but there's a girl who was found smoking, Mr. Lanford wants you to speak with her."

"Of course Whitney, you can send her in now." Whitney Graham was Mr. Lanford's, the school's principal secretary. Angie thought she must take some form of happy pills in the morning because she always seemed to be smiling and despite how busy she must be, she always appeared as if she had all the free time in the world. Angie couldn't stand her. She sighed, drumming her fingers on the desk as she waited for the fighting teenagers to enter her office, she glanced at the calendar pinned on the wall and mentally counted the days until she could stop playing school counselor and this whole business would be done and over with.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Drake folded his arms across his chest as he once again found himself sitting across Dr. Evans desk. Dr. Evans had of course been told about his interview with Child Protective Services and as a result the minute group had ended a nurse had told him that Dr. Evans wanted to see him.

"I know it wasn't easy for you, but I'm really proud of you Drake." Dr. Evans said calmly, Drake rolled his eyes. It was the same line everyone had said to him since the interview, so far he wasn't feeling very proud or like he had accomplished anything great. He was just tired.

"How's songwriting going? You mentioned last week that you were having trouble writing new lyrics." Dr. Evans asked changing the subject seeing as Drake wasn't in a sharing mood and talking about music always seemed to get him to talk a little or at least calm him down some. Drake groaned.

"Still no luck, every time I start to write something new, the lyrics just suck." Drake muttered.

"What do you think is causing your writer's block?" Dr. Evans asked leaning back in his chair. Drake shrugged.

"I don't know." Drake replied honestly. It wasn't like he had never had writer's block before, it just usually never lasted this long.

"Well, maybe if you figured out what's causing your block, you'll be able to come out with your next big hit." Dr. Evans offered smiling.

"Maybe." Drake answered while trying to stifle a yawn.

"Trouble sleeping?" Dr. Evans asked as Drake covered his mouth to hide the yawn.

"No more than usual."

Dr. Evans folded his hands on his desk, thinking for a moment while studying Drake.

"If you want Drake I could speak to your parents about possibly prescribing a mild sedative. Nothing too strong though, just something to help you sleep at night. It's important that you get enough rest." Dr. Evans spoke slowly.

"I don't need any crazy pills." Drake said flatly, frowning at the doctor. Therapy was one thing, but being medicated while going to therapy was a completely different story.

"As I said Drake, they wouldn't be antidepressants or antipsychotics which is what I'm assuming you are referring to as 'crazy pills,' it would be a mild sedative. Just a small pill you would take an hour or so before you went to bed that would help you relax and help you sleep." Dr. Evans explained. Drake shook his head firmly.

"No." He said without hesitation, his voice never wavering once.

"Okay, if that's what you want, I won't force you. It was merely a suggestion. But, you do need to get more sleep." Dr. Evans said, ending the discussion.

"Good." Drake muttered back as he began tapping his foot on the floor anxious to leave the stuffy office. Getting the hint, Dr. Evans glanced at the clock; they only had about fifteen minutes left anyways.

"Go on, you can leave early." Dr. Evans said with a small grin. Drake didn't need to be told twice. He was up and out of the office before Dr. Evans had a chance to stand up from behind his desk.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next day, Drake found himself bored, as usual at school. It was still lunchtime, but he had eaten half of a cheeseburger before leaving his group of friends and was now wandering the hallways trying to figure out what to do until lunch ended. He still found that if he spent too much time with his popular friends, he ended up aggravated and bored. He wasn't sure why since he used to be able to spend hours on end on the weekends with these people doing absolutely nothing but messing around and getting into trouble.

"Yo Parker, we need to talk."

Drake whirled around and found himself face-to-face with Jake from his band. He tried not to groan out loud. Jake was still pissed at him for not having finished lyrics yet.

"What?" Drake said through gritted teeth.

"I don't know what your deal's been these past few weeks, but I've had enough. We haven't booked a gig in almost two months, you're not even writing new lyrics and I'm sick of waiting around for you to get your shit together. I'm sorry Drake, I'm out." Jake spoke quietly, but his voice held an edge to it.

"Excuse me?" Drake spat, not having the patience for this conversation.

"Don't play stupid with me. Look, my girlfriend knows a guy who's looking for a new bass player, I'm meeting with him this afternoon after school." Jake explained, Drake snorted.

"Good luck with that. Joining some no-name band that no one's ever heard of. If you think that's going to book gigs you're a bigger ass than I thought." Drake said coldly before turning his back on Jake and started to walk back up the hall. Jake was the last thing he felt like dealing with.

"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?" Jake yelled as Drake continued walking away from him. Drake laughed.

Jake ran up behind him, he reached out and grabbed Drake's shoulder from behind. Drake gasped at his touch and acted on instinct. Before he could even process what he was doing, he grabbed Jake's wrist off his shoulder and forcefully twisted it, forcing Jake's wrist to face palm up. Jake's eyes went wide with pain and shock. He winced as he tried to pry his wrist out of Drake's hand.

"Let go of me Parker!" Jake cried. Drake just glared at him, his expression unreadable.

"Don't-ever-touch-me-again." Drake deadpanned, his voice deep and threatening, it didn't sound like him at all. Jake finally was able to get his wrist free, he hesitated for about a half second before bringing his right arm back up, swinging to punch Drake across the face. Drake caught his arm mid-punch and quickly brought Jake's arm across his back, twisting his elbowso he wouldn't be able to get free.

"I said, don't touch me." Drake hissed. Jake cried out in pain and struggled against Drake's grip on his arm.

"What the hell Drake? Let me go!" Jake screamed.

"Don't touch me! Do you understand? Don't fucking touch me ever again!" Drake yelled, Jake squirmed, still trying to get his arm out of Drake's grasp.

"Drake! Stop it!" A voice screamed down the hall.

He heard hurried footsteps behind him. Someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from Jake. Suddenly, Drake gasped and looked at Jake who was now rubbing his shoulder and staring at Drake with utmost loathing. He hadn't fully realized what he was doing. He remembered Jake grabbing his shoulder and he had just… reacted, he didn't even remember grabbing and twisting Jake's arm behind him. His body seemed to have had a mind of it's own and had acted simply on impulse and emotion. His mind had gone kind of numb afterwards. Feeling sick, Drake backed against the rows of lockers and stared at his right hand mystified. What had he done?

"Mr. Parker, would you like to explain to me why you were physically harassing this student?"

Drake looked up and almost groaned out loud. Mrs. Hayfer was standing in front of him with her arms crossed in front of her and tapping her foot at him impatiently, waiting for an answer. She may have been a little nicer to him lately, but she certainly wasn't going to let fighting on school grounds go by unpunished.

"I..I don't…I didn't…" Drake mumbled, feeling dizzy. He flinched and rubbed his forehead.

"Mrs. Hayfer please, he's just…upset." Josh piped up.

He was the one who had screamed at Drake to stop. Josh had finished his lunch and was heading to his locker to get his books for his next class when he had heard someone yell from the next hall. Surprised, he walked around the corner to see what the commotion was. Nothing could have prepared him to see his brother pinning Jake's arm across his back. Josh also knew that he would never forget the look on Drake's face. His face had been void of any real expression, but his eyes held a ferocity that Josh had never seen before in his life.

"No matter, I'm sure Mr. Lanford will love to hear about this. Drake, follow me, Josh, please take Jake to the nurse." Mrs. Hayfer ordered at Drake's continued silence. Josh glanced at Drake's pale face and haunted expression.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked quietly. Drake just shook his head, not sure what to say.

"Now Mr. Parker!" Mrs. Hayfer snapped when Drake remained leaning against the lockers. He took a deep breath then reluctantly followed Mrs. Hayfer to the principal's office. Josh hesitated wanting to follow him but knew Mrs. Hayfer wouldn't let him.

"I don't need to go to the nurse." Jake muttered beside Josh, still rubbing his sore arm.

"Your brother's a freaking nutcase." Jake scowled walking with Josh. Josh glared at him.

"You don't understand what you're talking about." Josh said quietly. It was Jake's turn to glare at Josh.

"Last time I checked he was the one coming after me." Jake growled angrily.

"I know I get that. But Drake is…uh going through a hard time. He's just not…quite himself today." Josh tried to explain.

"You can say that again." Jake snapped back. Josh sighed, and then jumped as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. He wanted to go to the principal's office to help explain to Mr. Lanford that Drake was just going through a hard time, but knew he would get in trouble himself for being out of class without a pass. He sighed again; he would just get a pass from his next teacher.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Sit." Mrs. Hayfer ordered Drake as they entered the front office and she went to explain to Mr. Lanford what had happened. Drake sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. His hands were still shaking and his head was starting to throb painfully. What the hell had happened to him out there? Drake got angry every now and then at people at school but he never really had gotten into a fight, not seriously anyways.

Everything was hitting him like white flashes in his memory. The shock of Jake's hand on his shoulder…a rushing sound in his ears…warm hands pulling him off of Jake. He vaguely had registered Jake's cries of pain, but it was as if his brain had temporarily left his body. It scared him that he couldn't even remember making the decision to grab Jake's arm…he just had. It was if when Jake had grabbed him something inside of him had snapped and his body forgot to think.

"Drake Parker." A deep voice called. Drake opened his eyes to see Mr. Lanford motioning for him to come into his office.

"So Drake, tell me what this fight was all about. According to Mrs. Hayfer, you grabbed Jake Hernandez completely unprovoked." Drake had spent enough time sitting across from Mr. Lanford's desk to know that he didn't make judgments until he had heard both sides of the story.

"It wasn't unprovoked, he grabbed me first. We were arguing about our band. He was pissed off at me and quit, so I walked away." Drake explained, not looking up at the principal, instead he continued to stare at his hands.

Mr. Lanford sighed. "Drake, I don't think I need to remind you that fighting on school grounds is prohibited and can result in immediate suspension."

"I know." Drake said, not even trying to fight against the punishment. Mr. Lanford stared at Drake, debating what he was going to do next. He knew that Drake was going to an outpatient program at County Hospital since he had signed off on the slip giving him permission to leave school early.

"Look, Drake I know that things at home are a little difficult for you right now but I can't excuse you fighting. Now, I'll have to hear Jake's side of the story, but for now I want you to talk with our school's guidance counselor."

"Excuse me?" Drake practically moaned out load. He had had enough of therapists trying to get inside of his head.

"It's that or you're suspended for two days." Mr. Lanford grabbed a notepad and scribbled a pass for Drake excusing him from class.

"Wait in the front office for Ms. Fox, she's our new guidance counselor." Drake tapped his heel, hesitating. He didn't really want to be suspended but at the same time he didn't know if he could handle another shrink session. Cursing under his breath, he snatched the pass from Mr. Lanford.

"Good choice." Mr. Lanford stated as Drake stomped back into the front office where he was momentarily surprised to see Josh sitting in one of the waiting chairs biting his nails. Drake sighed. This day was just getting better and better.

"Well, this is a first, Josh Nichols ditching class. Alert the presses. Or, don't tell me… _you_ actually got sent to the principal's office." Drake said with a smirk dropping into the chair next to Josh who grinned and held up a signed hall pass. Drake laughed.

"What are you doing here?" Drake asked.

"I was going to try and talk Mr. Lanford into not suspending you but it doesn't look like he did." Josh answered pointing to the pass in Drake's hand.

"No, he didn't, well not yet at least."

"So you're not in trouble?" Josh asked astounded. Bell View had a zero tolerance policy for fighting and he knew it was strictly enforced. Drake shrugged.

"Not sure, he has to talk to Jake first." Drake answered.

"So, now you're ditching class by hiding out in the front office?" Josh asked confused.

"I wish." Drake said quietly. "No, Lanford is making me talk to the school head wacko."

"Well, that's not too bad if that's your punishment. You got off easy." Josh said. Drake glared at him.

"Speak for yourself." Drake said, his voice colder then he meant it to be. They settled into a semi-awkward silence that Josh eventually broke.

"What happened Drake?" Josh asked quietly. Drake didn't dare look up at Josh, he kept his gaze focused on the ground and shifted in his chair.

"I'm not sure." Drake answered honestly.

"Well Jake must have done something to piss you off. You're not exactly the type to jump into a fight." Josh said a little nervously not wanting to upset Drake.

"He quit the band." Drake said solemnly.

"Okay…" Josh said slowly. It made sense that Drake would be mad at Jake for quitting the band but not enough for Drake to grab him like he did, he waited patiently for Drake to continue.

"I don't know after that." Drake said just above a whisper. "Jake grabbed my shoulder when I started walking away and then…I don't know." Drake rubbed his forehead, feeling dizzy and a little lightheaded. He looked up suddenly as a thin woman with bleached blonde hair and brown eyes walked up to him.

"Hello Drake, my name is Ms. Fox, Mr. Lanford thought it would be a good idea if we talked for a little bit." The woman said introducing herself and extending a hand toward Drake.

Angie had to concentrate on not smiling too much. She had been trying to think of a non-conspicuous way to get Drake into her office to start building some trust when one just landed in her lap. Drake had been in a fight and instead of suspending him; Mr. Lanford had ordered him to talk to her. It was like opening a present on Christmas Day.

"Yeah." Drake muttered. He stood up slowly, Josh stood ready just in case Drake was unsteady on his feet. Angie stared at Josh and tried to keep her voice even, he would just get in the way.

"I suggest you head back to class, unless you need to talk to Mr. Lanford." She said flatly then turned back and led Drake into her office. Drake nodded at Josh and he reluctantly walked out into the hallway back to class.

"So Drake, tell me what happened with um…Jake Hernandez." Angie asked once Drake had settled down in the chair across from her in her office. She glanced down at the student file that Whitney had given her.

"Like I told Mr. Lanford, we're in a band together, or well were. He got mad at me and quit, I walked away and he grabbed me." Drake said through gritted teeth. He was getting tired of explaining himself.

"So, you grabbed him back in retaliation?" Angie asked slowly, studying the teenage boy in front of her.

"No." Drake huffed crossing his arms over his chest.

"No? There were several people that saw you grab his arm behind his back." Angie countered. She hoped she sounded enough like a real counselor to fool Drake.

"I didn't say I didn't grab him. I said I didn't grab him to get back at him…It was just self defense." Drake answered, easily avoiding going into the details he didn't want to face.

"I see." Angie said, trying to think of what a real counselor would say next.

"Look Drake, sometimes when you're angry lashing out at the nearest person seems like the best solution at the time but it's not really dealing with the problem."

"There is no problem." Drake replied hotly.

"Well, tell that to Mr. Hernandez. We just want to make sure this type of thing doesn't happen again." Angie said saying the first thing that came to her head.

"If I promise to never get into a fight at school again can I go?" Drake said giving Angie his million-dollar grin that always seemed to get him out of trouble. It still amazed her how much he looked like Rick. She sighed, and told Drake what Rick had instructed her to.

"I think the only way we can ensure this type of behavior doesn't occur again Drake is if we spend a little more time together. So, from now on until I think you don't need it we'll be talking once a week. Just to check in how things are going." Angie said calmly."

"You got to be kidding me?" Drake said flabbergasted at the punishment.

"I'm afraid not Drake. It won't be for a long time, just a few minutes after school once a week to check in." Angie repeated.

"And if I say no?" Drake asked coldly.

"We're doing this to keep from being suspended, you should be thankful instead of having an attitude about it." Angie retorted. She didn't mean to lose her temper with him but she was getting annoyed with Drake's attitude.

"Fine, then suspend me, because I'm not going to do it." Drake said firmly before standing up and stepped towards the door.

"Mr. Lanford will have the final say in that." Angie said simply as Drake paused at the door.

"I bet he will." Drake snapped. He walked into the hallway, fuming. Once again the people around him were trying to control him. If there was one thing he was sure of it was he was not going to put up with therapy at school. Not in the mood for class he made his way to the bathroom. He threw his backpack onto the floor in one of the stalls and slammed his fist into the door. It was just one thing after another lately and he had had just about enough.

Drake coughed as he felt his chest tighten and constrict.

_Not now._ Drake moaned leaning heavily against the side of the bathroom stall. He coughed again and pressed his hand against his chest, willing himself to calm down. It had been weeks since he had cut himself. It wasn't like there hadn't been times when he had wanted to hurt himself. It was because of Megan. He didn't want to disappoint her. There was something about the way she had made him promise not to hurt himself again that actually made him want to keep his promise, despite how hard it was for him to do so.

But as he slowly struggled against the pain in his chest and his breathing hitched in his throat, Drake felt he didn't have a choice but to give in. He dug around in his backpack frantically searching for a blade and nearly screamed out loud when he found nothing. Josh or his parents must have finally gone through his backpack. Desperate he searched for something, _anything_ that he could use when he noticed the staples on one of the worksheets that a teacher had handed out last week. Drake had crumpled it and thrown it into his backpack. Quickly he grabbed the worksheet and with slightly shaky hands fumbled with getting the staples out of the paper. When he managed to get one free he hastily dragged the small staple across the inside of his left arm just below the elbow. The cut was small and shallow and barely even bled.

"Damn it!" Drake cried as he tried to use the small staple again to make a better cut. Instead he lost his grip and dropped it onto the cool tile. Drake punched the wall of the bathroom stall again frustrated. Coughing, he dug into his pocket and grabbed his phone doing the only other thing he could think of. He quickly scrolled down his contacts list and found Josh's number before hitting the send key. The phone rang for a second then went dead. Two seconds later his phone lit up signaling an incoming call.

"Drake, where are you? What's wrong?" Josh's frightened voice echoed in the small stall.

"I'm sorry, I didn't keep my promise. Please…I need…" Drake gasped into the phone as he coughed again.

"Where are you?" Josh repeated as he frantically paced the hall. He always kept his phone on vibrate in class and he nearly jumped out of his seat when he felt his phone vibrating as his History teacher began his lecture. No one ever called him during class. Curious, he carefully pulled his phone out of his pocket to avoid his teacher seeing and glanced down at the Caller ID. Drake was calling him. He hit the end button to stop the call and quickly got up asking for a bathroom pass. Once out in the hallway he called Drake back.

"I'm in the bathroom across from study hall." Drake answered.

"Stay there." Josh said, already jogging down the hallway. Two minutes later he burst into the guy's bathroom. The first thing he heard was Drake's breathy coughs, he ran to the last stall where the coughs were coming from.

"Drake, let me in." Josh said as he tried to force the locked door open. There was the soft sound of shuffling feet and Josh heard the lock slide back. Pushing the door open he saw Drake slumped on the toilet leaning against the stall breathing heavily.

"Breathe, you're okay. Take a deep breath." Josh coaxed gently rushing to his brother's side. He tried not to notice the thin cut on Drake's arm. It had been a while since Drake had last hurt himself, Josh couldn't think of what could have set him off so suddenly. He had seemed okay when he had left him at the office, a little shaken, but okay. Josh glanced down at his watch; it had only been about 20 minutes since then.

"I'm sorry." Drake mumbled into his hands.

"It's okay, just relax." Josh said as Drake coughed again. The pair settled into an easy silence as Drake's heavy breathing slowly evened out and became normal.

"What happened?" Josh asked for the second time that day a few minutes later once he was sure Drake had fully calmed down.

"I just couldn't deal with another shrink. I got pissed and walked out." Drake answered.

"You walked out? Drake, do you realize that could have gotten you suspended?" Josh asked appalled.

"I know, but I couldn't deal with her. She wanted to meet with me once a week. I'm not putting up with that on top of the outpatient program." Drake tried to make Josh see his side of it. Josh wasn't unsympathetic. He felt bad for Drake and put in his position he couldn't say he wouldn't have done the same thing.

"Ditching class isn't going to help your case either." Josh said matter-of-factly. Drake rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Probably not." Drake sighed. He stood up and grabbed his backpack.

"Did you…I mean your arm doesn't look…I mean…" Josh tried to ask Drake as lightly as he could.

"It's not as bad as it seems." Drake said trying to brush off the small cut with the staple. He doubted it would even leave a scar it was so shallow. Josh sighed; there was nothing he could do about that now.

"Come on, let's get back to class." Josh said slowly. They had made their way to the sinks, Drake nodded but stayed leaning against the sink.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked a little uncertain, it seemed like a dumb question considering what had just happened.

"I can't remember making the decision to grab Jake, Josh. I just…did. Just like…like he would." Drake breathed, his voice hoarse as he stared down at his hands again.

"He?" Josh asked perplexed. It only took Josh a minute to figure out what Drake was trying to say. He went hot and cold all over as he put together Drake's meaning.

"Don't you _ever _think that way Drake. Not for one damn minute, do you understand? You are nothing like him; do you hear me? This is _his _fault, not yours." Josh said loud and clear forcing Drake to look up at him.

"But I hurt him for no reason. All he did really was grab my shoulder. I could have just shrugged him off but I didn't. I mean he wasn't attacking me or anything." Drake blurted. Josh shook his head.

"That was just basic human instinct kicking in. I guess it would make sense to react that way after…after everything that has happened." Josh said as gently as he could, he didn't want to offend Drake who merely shrugged.

"Maybe." Drake said after a few seconds, thinking it over.

"Definitely." Josh corrected. "And for the record you didn't hurt Jake, not really anyways. Worst-case scenario, his arm will be a little sore _if that_ for the rest of the day. By the time school gets out he won't even feel it. And like I said that's the worst-case scenario. He's fine, he didn't even go to the nurse, just stomped off to class all pissed off, but you didn't hurt him." Josh said hoping that bit of news would help Drake feel better and judging from the small nod Drake gave him it had.

"Come on, Mr. Daniels is going to think I have serious bladder issues if I don't get back to class soon, and you should make an appearance too." Josh said giving Drake a small grin. Drake nodded slowly and picked up his backpack which he had dropped on the floor and followed Josh out of the bathroom. Neither one of them said a word as they entered their History class. Josh took his seat and Drake handed Mr. Daniels the pass Mr. Lanford had given him then slid into the empty seat next to Josh.

He made it through the rest of History class and about 10 minutes of his Algebra class before he was called back to the principal's office. When the message was given to his teacher Drake continued to sit in his seat and desperately wished that his math teacher would ignore it and let him remain in class. Groaning inwardly Drake made his way to the principal's office for the second time that day where Mr. Lanford's secretary wasted no time ushering him into his office. Drake bit his tongue and it took all his will power not to turn around and run out of the office. Sitting across from Mr. Lanford was his mother.

"Drake, please have a seat." Mr. Lanford said calmly. Audrey didn't say anything but she looked upset.

"I know you are probably surprised that we called your mom but it's school policy to notify parents when students are caught fighting. Your mother said she wasn't busy and volunteered to come down so we can sort this mess out." Mr. Lanford spoke calmly but with authority.

"Great." Drake muttered bitterly. He slouched in his chair not looking up at his mom once.

"Now, while you were in class Drake I spoke with Mr. Hernandez to get his side of the story. And while I can't say that either side is completely innocent or guilty I am disappointed in your behavior Drake. I know you are usually much better behaved then this which is why I was prepared to give you a pass so to speak, but from what Ms. Fox has told me you left her office without being dismissed after telling her you wouldn't meet with her." Mr. Lanford folded his hands on top of some papers on his desk while he spoke but he stared right at Drake, making him feel guilty. Drake called it the "principal glare," and figured it was something Mr. Lanford had perfected after years of practice on students.

"I made my opinion clear to her yes." Drake answered honestly. Audrey glanced at Mr. Lanford who cleared his throat before continuing.

"As I was saying Drake, I was prepared to give you a warning this time, but seeing as you have disregarded Ms. Fox's help and I checked with Mr. Daniels who said you didn't come back to class once you left. You forget that the time is written on hall passes, which shows that once you left Ms. Fox's office you waited almost 20 minutes before going back to class."

"I went to the bathroom." Drake said simply.

"Uh huh. Well, that bathroom trip cost you two weeks of detention. In addition, you will still have to meet with Ms. Fox once a week." Drake gritted his teeth.

"Can't I just take the detention?" Drake practically begged. The less time he spent with shrinks the better."

"Mr. Lanford and I both agree it could help you having someone at school to talk to." Audrey said.

"I don't need help at school, I'm fine. Besides, Jake was the one who started this, does he have to see Ms. Fox too?" Drake said his voice rising in annoyance.

"Jake is also receiving a punishment, yes Drake." Mr. Lanford said simply.

"Meaning he's not being forced to see Ms. Fox once a week." Drake said bitterly, picking up on Mr. Lanford's body language.

"Drake, I'm doing everything in my power to keep you from being suspended, but your acting as if you don't even care. Do you realize what a suspension will do to your permanent record? I don't know what your future plans may be but if you plan on going to college, any college you apply to will have access to that information."

"I don't care about that!" Drake snapped at the principal. Mr. Lanford drummed his fingers on top of the pile of papers, debating what to do with the boy in front of him. It wasn't as if he didn't feel bad for Drake, but what it came down to was Drake had broken the rules and therefore had to face the consequences for his behavior. He couldn't relent on his punishment. He straightened up in his chair making his decision.

"I won't change my mind on this Drake. I have given you several chances now to take a lesser punishment. As I said earlier, I know that you normally behave better then you did today, however seeing as how you keep resisting against any leniency I have tried to offer I have no choice but to send you home for the rest of the day. Given that you will be missing less than half a day of school it won't count as an official suspension, but an official reprimand resulting in disciplinary action, so in that sense you are lucky because official reprimands go on file on our personal school records but it won't be on your official record or transcript." Mr. Lanford spoke quickly but thoroughly.

Drake knew that what the principal said was right; he was lucky. Even after everything he still wasn't technically suspended, more like just being sent home from school early, something he had no problem doing.

"What about meeting with Ms. Fox and two weeks of detention?" Drake asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Both unchanged. The only thing that has changed is sending you home for the rest of the day. I didn't want to make you leave school but I'm sorry Drake, you didn't give me a choice. I can only be lenient for so long. Ms. Fox was also rather upset by your behavior today." Again Drake was surprised to see that Mr. Lanford did look genuinely sorry about making Drake leave school early. Drake nodded, it didn't matter what he said; he would be forced to see Ms. Fox whether he liked it or not.

"You'll start your detention tomorrow afternoon. Come to the office once school lets out. As for meeting with Ms. Fox I've already checked with her and she is available to start meeting with you on Friday." Mr. Lanford explained. Drake sunk back into the chair defeated.

"Fine, can I go now?" Drake snapped, tired of being chastised. Mr. Lanford hesitated only for a brief second before nodding.

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow Drake, you can count on it." Mr. Lanford said as a farewell. Drake rolled his eyes and stood up and made his way to the door in two quick strides. Audrey shook hands with Mr. Lanford before hurrying to catch up to Drake who had already made his way to the hallway and was walking towards the school's front doors.

He was surprised that his mom didn't question him or say a word to him for that matter as they walked to the car and for the first half of the car ride home. Drake didn't mind, he had another headache and the last thing he felt like doing was talking to his mom about why he had gotten into a fight with Jake earlier.

"You're not mad?" Drake finally asked when they were about 3 blocks away from their house. Audrey sighed and bit her lip nervously, unsure of what to say. Her relationship with Drake had been so strained and tense since he had come home from the hospital that she was afraid to say anything that would upset him further.

"I'm not mad no. I'm worried about you Drake that's all." Audrey said simply and glanced briefly at her son, who rolled his eyes.

"Right." Drake muttered as he leaned his head back against the passenger seat.

"Drake…you know you can talk to me right? I mean, you don't have to, if you don't want to…but if you do want to, I'm always here for you." Audrey finished awkwardly. Walter had briefly discussed with Dr. Evans the tension between Audrey and Drake and had asked him for advice on how to fix the situation since he knew how much it was tearing up Audrey. Dr. Evans had told him that it was normal considering everything Drake was going through and all she could do was to keep communication open and let Drake know that if he chose to, he could come to her anytime he wanted. Audrey had been debating on how to even bring up the subject with Drake and now seemed like a good time as any.

"Uh huh." Was all Drake answered back, still looking out the window. Audrey nodded slowly; it was a start. At least he wasn't yelling at her anymore, maybe things were slowly getting better.

_**Hey Everyone,**_

_**I hope not everyone out there has given up on this story. I know I completely and utterly fail because it has been like 9 months since I've updated! **____** But, after catching an episode of Drake & Josh on TV the other day I was inspired to finish this chapter, which I started writing months ago! I know my updates are spotty and inconsistent but I do plan on finishing this story and already have an idea of how I want to end this story. To everyone out there that has stuck with me this long, you guys are AMAZING! I don't know how else to thank you except by saying, hang in there and I promise this story WILL continue and I will finish it. **_

_**As always, reviews are always greatly appreciated, they mean so much to me, you guys have no idea! **_

_**Thanks as always,**_

_**FantasyForever1989**_


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